Egos and Heartbeats
by Charexl
Summary: After the Chitauri attack, Bruce Banner has been invited to stay at Stark Tower/Avenger Tower with his brother in science. Just settling in Dr.Banner notices he's taking a strange interest into the genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist more than he should. Of course, this seems to be no problem for Mr.Stark.
1. Chapter 1 Aftermath

**Hello! This is the first chapter of an RP I am doing with my friend. We thought we might as well let everyone else enjoy our fun. I play the part of Bruce Banner (for he is adorable) and my friend is Tony Stark. Hope you enjoy! **

**Edit: Thank you to Skykeiro for spotting some mistakes. Apparently fanfic didn't like the spacing and then just deleted names all together. Should be all good now :)**

******We do not own Marvel or its characters, but you would be damn sure we would if we could.**

Chapter 1- Aftermath  
It had not even been twenty four hours after the invasion of Manhattan and the cleanup had already begun. S.H.I.E.L.D. had already sent agents to help out on the job. The Avengers had gone to the remains of Stark Tower in order to rest up while holding Loki captive under reliable supervision.

The next day, Thor had taken Loki back to Asgard and the rest of the Avengers were left to do as they pleased, out of the watchful eye of Fury. Natasha and Clint went off to god-knows-where, Cap left on his motorcycle to venture into the new world, and the Doctor was invited to Stark Tower's R&D before the attack, where the offer still stood. Well, after the attack, Stark offered the tower to become Avengers Tower where they could all stay at and allowed for some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to work and operate from there. Only first, the Tower needed to be cleaned and rebuilt, just like most of Manhattan at that point.

had thought long and hard about his decision to go. He knows the potential dangers he causes. The very likely potentially lethal rage dangers, but Stark had previously shown he didn't care, or seemed rather enthralled with the idea of these risks and encouraged him to come around. In all honesty, Banner wanted to come to Stark's R&D desperately. It had been years since he had last set foot in anything classier than a rundown hut or mud shack. The thought of getting to do research again was exciting. It also held the possibility of finding a cure for him with the help of the genius that owned the place.

_Banner, you know what you're getting into. If you have any problems, or any reason to think that I will do ANY harm to ANYONE there, you will GET OUT OF THERE. There's no reason to hurt these people more. They're the first thing to friends or intelligent contact you've had to in years. You'll get on the first plane to the first wherever and you'll go back to doing what you're good at: Helping people. _He thought to himself. Reviewing his own plan mentally, trying to make it seem like he was doing the right decision even though he knew he should just stay away.  
After seeing all the other Avengers part, Banner climbed into Stark's Acura NSX after a quick pat on the shoulder that felt too foreign to the socially deprived man. They drove off together, wind blowing through their hair, not that the good doctor saw that. He had been training himself for years before his accident to avoid people's eyes. His incident only enforced his training due to his own fear of being thought of what he truly was: a monster, a freak, a horrible mistake. He controlled his breathing in fear of working himself up, another natural ritual in his life now, as he prepared himself for the new environment that he would be staying at.

Stark had a large, proud smile on his face as he drove quickly to what was left of Stark Tower. How he wished Thor would have let him punish Loki himself. How _dare_ he ruin Stark Tower. _I hope he receives the worst torture the entire universe can conjure, _he thought to himself as he pulled into his personal parking garage under the tower. On the upside Loki's attack did make it so he not only got meet the infamous Dr. Banner, but now he also got to work with him and hang out with him when they weren't working...for now.

Tony turned to the genius and smiled "Welcome to my humble abode, or what remains of it. The lab equipment should still be intact, but no promises. I still haven't had a chance to ask JARVIS about if it's still all okay," he grabbed the doctor's bag and headed to his private elevator, which somehow Pepper had messed up with the security, well this time he'd fix that and she wouldn't get a say in the design. He waited for the other man to get in the elevator before beginning to check on the status of his home and workplace. "JARVIS, is the guest room on the same floor as mine intact enough for Dr. Banner to reside in?"

"Yes sir, the top 3 floors are damaged to the point of being uninhabitable."

"And the lab equipment?"

"All equipment below those floors are safe."

"Good, good. Well big guy would you like to rest in your room first, or would you like a tour, or to get right to work?" Stark was trying to be a good host but he really just wanted to get to work fixing Stark Towers.

"Ah well...Since I've become a chronic insomniac, I don't think resting is going to do me much good right now...," he said looking around at the tight surrounding of the elevator while fiddling with his hands, making the already small man, even tinier, "I guess it would be appropriate for me to learn about my surroundings if I'm going to be staying here for a while..." The good doctor said this as if a suggestion, not wanting to be assertive in someone else's domain. He was after all, just a guest.

For the duration of the elevator ride, Dr. Banner managed to step away from the billionaire, as if he could blend into the wall. The elevator shot up surprisingly fast, but there were many floors to this giant tower. Soon enough, they were up at the first Research and Development floor of the tower. Dr. Banner waited in his corner, still avoiding any sort of eye contact with the other man, but his body language read, "if he led, he will come."

"Well this is the first Research and Development floor of the tower. If there's any research floor that has nothing damaged it'll be this one." He said stepping off the elevator. As he turned his head to give the doctor a smile he noticed the doctor's body language. "Come on man loosen up, you don't need to be shy around me. How's a drink sound? JARVIS how's my wine collection?"

"The bottles in the cellar are intact. Collection on the top floor destroyed."

"Thank you, JARVIS. Big guy, how does a glass of 1959 Chateau sound?" He asked hoping to make the man relax a bit. He shrugged the man's bag up a bit higher on his shoulder, "Or perhaps some brandy?" He wanted to show the man the rest of his home with the man not as stressed as a finger about to pull a trigger.

Banner let out a chuckle and gave a weak smile at the notion. He tried to bring his shoulders down slightly and looked at the taller man. "Thanks, but that's not the smartest idea for me. Elevates the heart rate, can't control one's self, and all that jazz. Nothing really beneficial for me, the other guy would have a party..," he sighed.

Still he managed to avoid his eyes and tentatively he stepped out of the elevator and into the much wider research area. He did loosen up as he started to turn around and look in awe at all the gadgets, computers, chemicals, burners, etc. Even when he was working for General Ross, he never got nearly this much equipment and this was only one floor out of ten.

"Wow...And this is only the first floor. This is very impressive Mr. Stark. You were right, this is like candyland," he let out another chuckle as his gaze turned around to the devices sitting on lap tables.

"Then may I offer you soda? Water?" Stark asked trying to be a good host. He sat in a computer chair as he let the man look around the lab. It made him smile how relaxed Banner looked being around the equipment, well relaxed for Banner. He was quite excited to begin their work, after he fixed his home of course. He looked at his equipment with a small smile as if remembering when and where he bought each piece. It made him feel a bit sad thinking of how little he had been using his first lab his other floors were equipped with newer stuff and his other projects. His first projects were built here. _How nostalgic _he thought to himself.

As he watched Banner he couldn't help but chuckle out loud at what the possible reaction would be from the other man when he saw the other labs. _He might just go Hulk from the sight _he thought to himself with another chuckle. "Well I know you're having fun but there are nine more floors and frankly I'd like a drink myself."

Banner turned around with almost an embarrassed look for getting so worked up about some lab equipment. It had been so long since he was near his area of expertise in such a wide array it's practically too good to be true. He gingerly walked back with a sideways smile on his face and hands still wrapped around one another.

"R-right, I'm sorry. It's just been a while…Oh and water is just fine. Thank you," Banner said in a collecting tone, still trying to get his brain to wrap around all the new toys, "Lead the way tour guide."

Stark nodded and skipped to the floor with his bedroom the guest rooms and a lounge with a very well stocked bar. He dropped off Banner's bag in a guest room near his. He wanted the doctor to be close so if anything went wrong he'd be the first to know. "Here's your room, mine is just a little ways away. I hope it's to your liking. If not there are others." He said this with a cocky smile. Giving little time for room exploration, he figured Bruce would have enough time for that when he went to bed, Tony led the way to the lounge on that floor.

"Please make yourself at home" he said gesturing to the couch. Going behind the bar he poured two cups of scotch and a glass of water. placed the extra cup of scotch on the coffee table by the couch and handed Bruce the water. "The scotch is there if you want it." he said sipping his own. Drinking alone wasn't very fun and even if Bruce wasn't going to drink it, it made it a bit more fun to know the man had the option.

Banner let out a small laugh and sat on the leather couch. He eyed the glass of scotch carefully and instead downed the water next to it. He balled up a fist and placed the thumb of which to his brow, which he proceeded to lay his head back against the cool leather surface and closed his eyes.

"Didn't get to sleep last night after all the excitement from yesterday. Gave me a blistering headache. But, in all honesty, thank you for letting me stay here. It's been...awhile since I've gotten to relax in anything, but a shack," he let out a long sigh and started to run his hand over his forehead to see if it would provide any sort of relief.

"This is going to take some time to get used to though," he smiled genuinely for what seemed the first time in years. Not only that, but managed to smile and turn his head to the other man next to him. The look was easy to read, it was complete thanks for this opportunity that the other man next to him provided. There was even the possible trace of trust that could be seen in his eyes, but that wasn't seen long for he quickly closed them once again and rolled his head to face the ceiling.

Stark smiled at the man's sincere words "Any time. We can wait to finish the tour tomorrow if you like. You shouldn't push yourself so hard, " Tony wanted nothing more than for the man next to him to feel at home and relax a bit more. It warmed his heart to know that the man trusted him enough to at least give him a smile. He held out a hand for the man's glass to refill it.

"How 'bout another glass of water?" He asked wanting to get himself another cup of scotch. "Tomorrow we can start on some of our research _after _you get a full night's rest tonight" He said with a smile. He felt like a mother trying to raise a child. In a way he was. How long had it been since Dr. Banner had been around humans that weren't from a third world country? How he wanted to help this man become accustomed to being around so many people without making him feel like a monster...

"You already got me a scotch. I'd feel bad for wasting it. If anything, it'll knock me out," he took a tentative sip from the glass after reaching for it with the hand that was previously on his temple. The alcohol burned his mouth and caused him to go into a small coughing fit. Finally, he manages to choke it down his first sip and turns to the other man.

"I t-think I could use a-another water...D-Do you normally d-drink stuff that s-strong...?" Banner managed to spit out in a combination of coughs or moans. He sent the drink down on the table in front of him and managed to get up. He was a little dizzy from the combination of his headache, choking, and the minimal amount of alcohol in his system that he wasn't used to. This caused him gripped the side of the couch for support and focus on his breathing. The doctor didn't want to get too worked up over something so little. Especially after having not one, but two Hulk outs the previous day. An argument could be made for one. Since the other was to save the planet after all. Eventually, he managed to straighten himself out and stand up with his usual tight composure, while fiddling around with his hands as if to distract both himself and others.

"S-sorry," he said meekly out of embarrassment.

Stark chuckled to himself hearing the man choking. He got him another glass of water and put it on the coffee table. "Sorry, strong drinks just work best. I suppose I should stick to the light wines and champagnes for you then huh?" His questions held a slight teasing tone yet somehow a bit of apology. Obviously he wouldn't outright apologize for anything, ever.

Tony watched as the man fought with "the other guy" it really wasn't his favorite pass time to see Banner have to fight for control, even though the concept of him Hulking out fascinated him. He looked at the man's fiddling hands.

"There's no need to apologize, you said no. I shouldn't have pushed you, " He admitted in a rare occasion of humility. "Need help to your room?" He asked a bit concerned.

Bruce gratefully took the water to wash down the burning in his throat. He finished with a sigh of relief and a light laugh at how gullible he just was. The man set the glass down on the table and walked his way around heading for the room Tony had previously showed as his own.

"Thanks, but no thanks for both. But if you are going to try and poison me again, that would probably be for the best," he calmly stated with a weak smile. He still was curious about his surroundings currently and kept glancing about while walking towards the designated room.

Banner peeked his head inside the massive bedroom which seemed to be a master bedroom if anything. There was a massive king sized bed with green, statin-looking sheets and cover. To the right there was an equally massive bathroom complete with shower and a tub big enough for four. He spotted his bag of belongings, consisting of some clothes that he was provided by S.H.I.E.L.D. since he only decided to pack a toothbrush back on the helicarrier.

The small man turned to the billionaire with the a skeptical look. "This...," he pointed with his right index finger while it was intertwined with his other hand, "Is this... seriously a guest bedroom...?" Each 'this' said as if the room it was referring to was nothing more than a fantasy as the rest of the tower seemed to him.

Tony looked in the room as if inspecting it for any imperfection. "Yeah, why?" He asked with looking for the issue. It then occurred to him how long it had been since Banner had stayed in anything nicer than a mud hut or a shack. Jumping from that to five star hotel room was probably not the easiest thing to get accustomed to.

"I can set you up a less...extravagant room when I rebuild the upper levels if you like." He said a bit embarrassed that he hadn't realized sooner that this would be a bit difficult for his guest to be comfortable with all this. _Come to think about it, if this is going to be the headquarters for the avengers I should rebuild the rooms on the upper floors to suit each avenger..._he thought to himself as he began thinking of new blueprints.

"Well if you feel like an insomniac tonight feel free look around or play with my toys. JARVIS map of the towers, please."

"Yes sir." up came a holographic map of the Stark towers from a projector on the desk.

"Labeled, please" Words popped up next to each room labeling the room and the objects in them. "Just take a look at this if you need some help. Ask JARVIS if you need anything and if you have any questions I'm just down the hall." He explained with a small smile. "JARVIS see to it that all the big guy's needs are sought to."

"Yes sir."

"Well big guy I will see you in the morning. Sweet Dreams." With that Tony turned and headed to the master bedroom just down the hall.

"Goodnight," Banner mumbled to himself in the vast room which he stood. The man felt lost in such a luxurious place to stay.

_Might as well _try_ to sleep. Maybe I'll surprise myself, _the doctor thought to himself as he started to unbutton his yellow dress shirt, which was part of his attire that Stark had given him along with the pants. His pants were the next thing to go and they were placed neatly on the desk next to the bed along, leaving him in his boxers and unbuttoned shirt. The yellow shirt hung off of Bruce's small frame as he looked out the large window composing the entire back wall out of the room.

Banner gazed out down the street which seemed to be at least thirty stories below him. Light was becoming dimmer and started to change its hues. The lights in the buildings around and street lamps were starting to come on. Looking around it was very evident that the alien attack was recent. Some of their bodies still littered the streets below, along with some parts of Stark Tower and other buildings nearby that were hit in the attack. Some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents working tirelessly seemed to have just arrived to this street to take away the foreign evidence of a war that happened less than a day before. He looked out in front of him to see some giant pieces of building missing, along with Chitauri bits scattered about in each of them.

The good doctor let out a sigh, unable to recall the damage he did when the destruction was obviously from his own accord. He looked to the corners of the widow to see if he would pull a drape in front of him so he didn't have to think about what he harmed, even if it was for saving the planet. Looking befuddled a voice activates overhead as if on cue.

"If there is anything you need, sir, please feel free to ask me about the Tower's operations," JARVIS stated over an intercom that seemed to emit from everywhere in the room.

"Ah right...," Bruce said nervously, still nowhere near accustomed to such a place to stay or for use as laboratory. Not sure how to phrase what he wanted since blinds didn't seem to exist in the room, he manages to ask, "Um...Is it possible to...cover the window?"

"Of course, sir," JARVIS stated clearly and at which an electronic panel covered the enormous window of the room and blacked out the view to the outside. "Is there anything else I can do for you, sir?" the human-like, robotic voice asked politely like any other servant.

"N-no, that's all. Thank you, JARVIS," he said awkwardly. The thought of having a computer servant now felt as odd as the rest of the Tower.

Banner turned around to cross the wide room to the light operating system which seemed to have way too many functions. He played around with the controls until the room was dark. There was a small light that turned on near the bed, so that the doctor could find his way there without hunting for it. Finally, he made his way over and slipped under the statin covers and noted his previous observation was correct. Bruce laid his aching head against the pile of pillows behind him and succeeded in the most amount of sleep he had obtained in years, which wasn't much considering he woke up at two in the morning.

He lay in bed with his eyes wide open. His surroundings slowly become more and more aware to him. On his wrist he saw the time and let out another one of his sighs.

_At least your headache is gone, Banner. Might as well explore now. _

"Um, JARVIS? Which lap has the most equipment to work with blood testing?" he inquired remembering that he was there for help, a big step in the right direction for the man who normally lived in third world countries.

"Sixth floor of R&D, sir. Do you care for me to turn on the lights in this room, sir?" JARVIS asked.

Remembering how long it took for him to fiddle around with the controls last night, Banner let out an immediate yes. He also thanked JARVIS for his help and the light flooded the room. Bruce buttoned up the shirt that still hung around him and put on the pants he folded the day before. And soon enough, he was heading towards the elevator for the sixth floor of Research and Development.

After walking into his bedroom Tony slipped into his red satin pajamas. His bed was red with gold trimming. The headboard and frame a shiny gold color to match. in the center of the room a large Persian rug matching the color scheme. He walked over to the mini bar that of course he had in his room. He poured himself a glass of brandy. Sipping at his beverage he went to sit at the desk in his room.

"JARVIS pull up the damage reports on Stark Towers, and a blue print with the damaged floors erased."

"Yes sir. Shall I also pull up the original blueprints?"

"Sure, I want to see where I can make improvements." He explained though it was unnecessary considering JARVIS was a machine, he probably didn't care. Once the images popped up, he took one look and began working on floors individually. The bottom most of the damaged floors he started making rooms for the other Avengers.

Hawkeye's room would have a bed that was set up high. The room would be decorated like a forest. Since the hawk saw all it seemed perfect to put the team's personal Hawk in a position where everything was visible to him. Perhaps make the bed looks like a nest. He laughed to himself a bit. _Hawkeye would kill me if I made his bed a nest. It'd be worth it to see his reaction. _

For Captain definitely a red, white, and blue theme. Captain America posters on the wall and a bed with an American flag blanket. A showcase for Phil's collector cards would probably make the old man feel good. Maybe some vintage propaganda posters as well. As much as he hated to admit it, the Captain probably didn't love himself as much as Tony did. So the posters probably shouldn't have his picture on _all _of them.

Black Widow would naturally have a room next to Hawkeye's. Her room could be centered around her name as well. Perhaps a black blanket with the red hourglass that's on the spider's thorax. The room should be equipped with places to hide her guns with easy access. Three gun cases and holsters under every surface possible.

For Thor, if he should return, a room with a lightning theme. There could be holographic storm clouds and maybe lightning and thunder that could be controlled by a remote and/or JARVIS. If Thor could get a picture of his sleeping quarters on his home planet Tony could probably recreate it if he wanted.

_But what for my brother in science? What would Bruce probably like? _ He thought carefully about it. Perhaps a simple twin bed with a green comforter and an elevator that leads to all the labs. Perhaps even make his room a mini lab. Nothing would be wrong with having a high-speed computer and a few Bunsen burners in one of the bedrooms. _I'd have to have JARVIS remind him to eat. _He thought to himself with a laugh.

The floor above the rooms would be another lab. A lab for working with gamma radiation, for finding a cure for Bruce. It'd have to be set up as to not allow contamination in the other floors.

The top floor would be the meeting room. A large table with enough chairs for every Avenger, including Fury, with a large 'A' in the middle. It should have projectors surrounding it so they could see different information and news reports that were happening. Their uniforms would be accessible from every room of the house. Once he finished drawing out the blueprints he smiled to himself. _I wonder if Bruce is awake, I'd like his opinion on this. _

"JARVIS is the big guy still awake?"

"Yes, sir, he's in the sixth floor R&D lab."

Tony went straight to the elevator and went to the lab. "Hey big guy, check this out I think you'll like it." He said excitedly "JARVIS the new blueprints, please."

"Yes, sir." The blueprints came up enlarged

"Labels, please" The labels appeared and he smiled. "So what do you think?"

Banner looked about the giant lab before him once the elevator opened. Before him were dozens of computers and equipment perfect for what he needed.  
"Wow...," he said to no one, but himself, "You really need to get used to things, Banner. Might as well get to work. It's been awhile since you've been able to get a reading of yourself."

The doctor walked around the room and spotted a box of syringes. After taking a seat on a nearby stool, he gently pulled one out of the box and rolled up the sleeve of his yellow shirt. With one hand he applied pressure to his bicep and with the other he slowly pushed the needle into a visible vein. He then proceeded to retract the pump and red blood poured into the syringe.

Bruce was always one to be deep in thought when he was working, but when Stark came out of seemingly nowhere, he practically fell off the stool he was perched on. The sudden movement caused the needle to come out with a gush of blood to follow.

"S-stay back!," he frantically warned with a scared look in his eye. His radioactive blood was lethal to anyone else and his panic was only exceedingly evident. He dropped the syringe onto the counter and used a nearby rag to clean up his bloody mess of an arm. In his pocket, he fumbled to grab the super glue he always carried in case of emergencies and quickly applied it to the nick on his arm.

"I'm sorry...At least super glue is useful for everything," he chucked morosely to himself. "Sorry you must have been talking for a bit. I tend to get...engrossed in my work to say the least. What are these blue prints for?" he asked finally addressing the topic at hand.

Stark stopped dead in his tracks after hearing Bruce's frantic warning, the last time he had seen the man show that much emotion was when he was going to Hulk out on the helicarrier. While Bruce cleaned up his blood, Tony took the time to relax and regain his composure a bit. He chuckled a bit at the man's comment about super glue. "There's no need to apologize. As long as you have super glue all is forgiven." He joked

"I had a stroke of genius and made the blueprints for the upper levels that were damaged during the fight. See here's Hawkeye's room, Black Widow's, The Captain's, Thor's, yours, the meeting room for the group, and this " He paused "Is a lab specifically for the study of gamma radiation and finding a cure for you, big guy." With that he gave a big smile showing his excitement for the new blueprints and his sincerity for wanting to help his friend.

"Of course until all this is set up you're welcome to work here and stay in the guest room." he clarified. He didn't want to give the man any other excuse to leave other than he absolutely didn't want to stay; not felt like he should leave to protect people, only _wanted _to leave. "So big guy, what do you think?"

"Poor Hawkeye is gonna flip when he sees what you planned for him," he managed to give a normal laugh at the thought of the man sleeping in a nest. "The plans look very elaborate, very...big. And the lab...It looks perfect. Thank you, I really appreciate it, Mr. Stark."

Bruce went over to where he left the syringe and found a test tube to collect the contents within it. Blood flowed in steadily as he applied slight pressure to the pump and then capped the contents immediately. A toxic waste basket was in the corner of a lab counter which he threw the syringe and the rag into. Little to his knowledge, JARVIS automatically disposes all of those wastes into an incinerator and caused him to jump yet again when the automated voice went on the intercom to announce its actions.

Banner smiled while looking at the little bin. Toying with his own hands, the doctor turned back to Stark. He shook his head and teased saying, "I'm never gonna get used to this."

Tony laughed at the man's comment. Whenever the doctor laughed or gave a genuine smile, Stark felt as if he was allowed to be in on a big secret. Somehow it made him feel special and sad at the same time. The other man's smile shouldn't be so rare that Tony felt the government should pay him every time he made it happen.

"I'm glad you like them, but please call me Tony. We're teammates no need to be so formal." He said patting the man on the back. His smile only grew when the other man teased him. "You sure? I mean there are some nice toys here it'd be a shame if you gave up on trying to get used to all this before getting to play with each and every one of them. "

Stark looked around at his equipment, finally he had someone to share it all with. It got boring doing research constantly alone. No matter how hard he tried Pepper could only understand so much and frankly only Dr. Banner has the ability to play with his toys with him. Everyone else would just break them or stare at them dumbly trying to figure out just how to turn it on.

"It...may take some time," the doctor jested back, a smile still resting on his face comfortably. He unfolded his hands to pick up his own vile of blood where he used a probe to get a drop to use to with a radiation tester nearby. The rest he saved for other planned tests and experiments.

"It's been awhile since I've had any sort of reading on myself. It's hard to come by radiation equipment down in Brazil," he stated while watching the readings on his blood that JARVIS displayed on a monitor that lit up from the ceiling right in front of him. "So when do you plan on rebuilding, Mr. Stark-err. I mean, Tony," the foreign word hung from his lips. Felt odd to say, but it felt nice none the less.

"Well, I'd be surprised if it was easy to find radiation equipment easy in most places of the world." He said with a chuckle knowing he was being a snarky, smartass. "Here at least we can keep an eye on your radiation levels. Have them increased or decreased at all? "He asked with a hopeful look.

"I want to start building tomorrow. The sooner it's all built, the sooner we can start doing intensive research on gamma radiation." Tony purposefully avoided saying they were going to be doing intensive research on 'find a cure for your condition' or anything stupid like that. It wasn't that it made him uncomfortable to talk about the 'other guy', quite contrary he loved it, but speaking as a disease just wasn't something he wanted to do. It was already obvious Bruce had enough self-esteem issues when it came to Hulking out, he really didn't want to add to that. He decided to stir the topic a bit. "Was there any details you wanted added to your room?"

"Radiation levels look about the same...," he sighed and hand his hand through his messy, dark brown hair. It's not like it was going to change miraculously, yet he still clung onto that hope that the last cure would have had some lasting effect. But it only reversed the Hulk out they induced and that was only evident by what the information the computer held on the screen.

"But the room you came up with, it looks nice. I like how it's connected to all the labs. I'm probably not gonna leave for a long time then. Thank you, ," Bruce turned to the man after prying himself away from the monitor which only was chipping away at his hope for a cure every time he reread it. He looked up to the taller man who was holding some glass of alcohol and noted the pajamas he was sporting. Tony had a tired look on his face, which probably wasn't aided by whatever drink he was consuming. However, Bruce saw that he still looked pretty handsome. Not that he wasn't, there were reasons he was a playboy. Just more so considering Tony was in his evening wear and alcoholic aroma. Which reminded him, "Shouldn't you be asleep? Also, how many glasses of alcohol have you had this evening? You seem a tad worn out."

Tony was disappointed to hear that the radiation levels were remaining constant. He knew that the likelihood of the levels improving was slim to none, he still felt empathy for the man when they never did. Though it did make him feel a bit better to know that the man enjoyed the room he designed for him.

"Great, because you needed more encouragement to stay in the lab all day," he said with obvious sarcasm. "And like I said before, call me Tony. It makes this place seem too professional if you call me 'Mr. Stark'. We're supposed to have _fun _with this stuff. Remember fun?" he teased to try and get the man to see he didn't want their relationship to be like those between scientists at an uptight research center.

He watched as the man ran his hand through his hair. Though he was sure Banner couldn't see it, he looked very attractive to Tony. Especially when wearing his clothes, of course he'd never admit that out loud. "I can never sleep when an idea pops into my head. And this is only my second glass," he said a bit defensive.

"Sorry sorry, Tony," Banner put great emphasis on the name to hope he'd commit that way of speech to memory. "I'm not one who should be talking about that anyways. I'm sorry."

He continued to run his hand through his hair until he pulled it forward over his face and started to knead his other hand in it. Facing the computer screen one last time as if to change the stats that were before him, he sighed once more.

"Well, I guess in the meantime since you don't really have a gamma radiation lab set up yet, we can tinker around with your suit. It looked well worn out after the Chitauri attack once I got a hold of myself." Bruce thought back to the bits of the battle he could remember. There was the faces of Chitauri that were smashed in here and there, the whining voice of Loki in the back of his mind, and then there was a brief moment where he thought he had total control of his actions. He remembered a falling red metal man that didn't seem to be stopping. The next thing he knew, he was on the ground with the man in his arms.

_Maybe I am getting better at keeping some of my mind..._he thought to himself, but at the thought shook his head and went back to raking his hands through his hair. As if to comb out any silly notions of 'being in control' out of his mind.

Tony smiled and nodded. "It took a pretty hard thrashing with me falling from space and all" he said with a chuckle. The suit had not only been beat up in his fighting with the numerous aliens attacking all the people but going into space had destroyed the suit's wireless systems. He'd have to reformat the entire system to get it reconnected to JARVIS and to give it all the capabilities it had before, not mention get out all those damn dents. _Damn it Loki, I swear I'm going to make Thor give me every detail of your punishment when he gets back._ He once again found himself thinking about the punishment of the demi-god that almost caused his death. On that note he realized he had never thanked the scientist next to him for saving him.

"Oh and um thanks for catching me." He said a bit awkward. It wasn't often that he said those words or thanked people for much of anything, but this was a situation that really called for it. "I was also informed that you gave my heart the jump start it needed, so thanks for that too. I guess in short I should just say thanks for saving my life." He held a hand out to the man for him to shake.

Bruce stopped stroking his hair in his tracks at what he heard. Utter amazement went across his face as did a blush that was fairly visible. "So that was real...D-don't mention it," the doctor managed so say in a voice no louder than a whisper. He took Tony's hand in his own after he managed to free it from its hold on his head. It was warm, and firm. A trusting grip was met with equally trusting, caring eyes that he could only hold for a second before having to avert his gaze and turn his head to hid his blushing embarrassment.

Even in his own embarrassment, Banner noticed that the mighty, cool Tony Stark even had a soft spot. _Fascinating,_ the good doctor thought to himself. But what was even more fascinating was the fact that he apparently did have some control, or at least for a few moments. He not only saved Tony from falling, but apparently woke him from the dead too.

It took him a little bit to realized he was still making contact with another person and quickly retracted his hand after coming to himself once again. Nothing made him feel more awkward than was when he was complimented or thanked. No one thanked a enormous, green, rage monster. That was something you shoot to kill, and why he had ran.

"So, um...s-shall we get started on the suit then...?" Banner asked as awkwardly as he sounded at arriving at the Tower, if not more so. His habitual controlled breathing took over, and the hand fiddling commenced once more.

_Don't mention it? _Tony thought to himself _How can I not mention it? He saved my life. Even as the Hulk he managed to not only catch me as I was falling from space without harming me, but kickstart my heart. _Stark was utterly amazed at the man's new found control over the monster within him. He wondered if he'd ever be able to find a new way to keep the shrapnel from making it's way into his heart. Preferably a way that wouldn't shine a light through every shirt he wore.

Stark noticed the blush that had spread across Banner's cheeks. _How cute..._ He almost had to visibly shake the thought from his head. He was _not _ thinking another man was cute. And he especially didn't enjoy the extended contact that he and had shared during their handshake. Tony nodded at the man's question.

"JARVIS, the suit please."

"Yes, sir." The machine responded opening a cabinet that had come out of the wall. Naturally it had to be hidden, but easily accessible.

"Well because of the interference from the wavelengths given off by that aliens ship, the suit won't just reconnect with JARVIS, it basically has to be rebooted. And now that I'm working on it I might as well add the spinning rims that I had to skip. I've got some great ideas for some new modifications that will give the suit some more kick. " He said laying the suit on the table. "Also we have to buff out all the dings and shit like that. I have to be presentable when in the suit," he finished with a cocky smile.

Dr. Banner nodded along with the billionaire next to him that pulled out a weaponized suit of armour like it was nothing. The doctor had the curiosity of everyone else who has come into contact with it. How does it work? Where is everything located? How does he see? All those questions and more running through his mind. He hovered over the equipment wanted to dive in and answer every question his mind was throwing at him.

The two then went to work at fixing the machine. They hooked up tons of wires for rebooting the system and to recharge the suit. The equipment for fixing the exterior was on the third R&D floor so they quickly relocated in the middle of their progress. Bruce had been utterly enthralled with the device and couldn't help but explore, disassemble, reassemble, test and do everything else he could with the suit.

All in all, he couldn't help but relax a bit when getting back into the zone of work and also realize the man next to him really is a genius. Turning to the genius he sees a tired look in his eyes, yet they seemed dead set and determined to finish through. He looked at his watch and saw that they had been working into the wee hours of the morning.

"Maybe we should get some rest. If you want to finish your suit and start working on the Tower tomorr-er-today, then I think some amount of rest is in order," the small man offered as the other was absorbed in his work.

"You're probably right, I just wanted to get this done. You go ahead there's only a little more work and the suit should be good as new. "He said not wanting to be caught off guard without his highest technology suit ready to fight. He hadn't even felt how tired he was until the Doctor had mentioned how late it was. He looked at his watch and sighed "Actually I'll be going too; I can use my older suit to help with the repairs to Stark Tower anyway."

He gave a long yawn while stretching his back. Tony looked at the Doctor beside him. That brown hair, those tortured brown eyes, his perfectly pink lips. Tony just wanted to touch the man again for some reason, feel his gentle handshake again. Not to say the handshake was loose, it was plenty firm, but it had a gentleness to it. People say you can tell a man by his handshake and if he judged Bruce just by his handshake, he'd assume Bruce was a kind man that worked hard, and he'd be right. Once again, he stretched his hand out for the doctor as he spoke his next words, only this time it was purely for the fact he wanted to touch Bruce again.

"Well big guy, thanks for your help we got a lot more done than expected."

"No problem," Bruce said quietly nodding to himself. He noticed the outstretched arm in the corner of his eye, causing him to tense up again. Stark had a strong and firm shake, yet soft and welcoming. Nothing more than that, but the thought that someone actually welcomed him and encouraged him made him feel uneasy. The feeling coming from a rather attractive man that seemed enamored with him didn't help either.

Banner unfolded his hands that always seemed to be playing with one another and returned the gesture to the other man. Again he felt the soft and warm touch of Tony Stark, and he can't say he didn't like it. Far from it. He loved it. But having contact with another person still made him feel uncomfortable. Thus, his head was turned towards the suit and he could feel a slight blush crawl up his cheeks yet again that night. He knew where the sensation was leading and remembered much faster than last time to let go of the other man's hand.

"Um, I guess this is good night then," he said nodding to himself yet again. His hands returning to their normal position which was resting at his naval. Bruce still couldn't turn to fast the other man, his blush was much more evident and he could feel it burning on the sides of his face. He wouldn't be able to handle Stark staring at him intently like he normally does. Just to watch his every move for a better understanding of the complex man. He noticed, but that was evident on the helicarrier where they worked before together.

_Ugh, get it together, Banner! Calm down, he's just curious. Hell, you would be too if you were staring at someone would could Hulk out whenever, _he thought to himself. Remembering his breathing, it helped bring down his temperature and lighten the blush on his face, but some still remained.

"Well our rooms are on the same floor so we might as well take the elevator up together, unless you want me to wait here while you go up." He teased. He walked over to the elevator waiting for it to come down. _He really is adorable; I wish he wouldn't hide himself from me. _His cheeks redden a bit at the thought, but blushing was too uncool so he had to stop that shit. When the elevator came he kept the doors open for Bruce to go first. "After you, big guy."

Tony began going over plans in his head. If Stark Tower could be fixed before the others returned it'd be a great surprise. _Maybe instead of making Bruce's room from scratch I could just adjust the guest room a bit, I'm sure he wouldn't mind being on the same floor as me rather than on the same floor as everyone else. It'd also make more sense since we'd probably be working late a lot anyway; he wouldn't wake anyone walking if his room was on the same floor as mine. _"Hey big guy, how would you feel about your room being on the same floor as mine? Your's only requires a few modifications to the one you're already in, and this way if we work late you won't wake anyone going back to your room."

"Sounds like a good idea. Hopefully I won't disturb you too much. Put some toys in that room and I doubt I'll come out though," Banner said as he walked around Tony to get into the elevator. Another thing he was good at, trying to avoid unnecessary contact. But here it was so Tony wouldn't feel how warm he had gotten just over a little handshake.

_Control your breathing. Inhale. Exhale. The monks would be disappointed in you right now. _He through, his attention turned the the display of buttons inside the elevator. It was ridiculous how many floors there was to this place.

When the elevator doors moved aside, Bruce stayed in his corner of the elevator like he did before when he first entered the establishment. Waiting for Tony's lead, he still managed to avoid looking at Tony for his reddened cheeks still prevailed.

"Naw, it takes a hell of a lot more to wake me than those light footsteps of yours," he teased. Getting in the elevator he looked over to the in the corner where the man was standing. It hurt him how far the man stood from him. He had thought they had made real progress as far as the whole trust thing went. _Guess I'll just have to take it very slow, _he thought with a bit of a frown.

Tony really wanted to be seen as a friend to the doctor, not just a science partner. He smiled at the thought. Once the elevator reached their floor Tony took the lead once again heading to Bruce's room. "Thanks again for your help."

_Feels kind of like dropping him off after a date,_ he couldn't help but blush a bit and outwardly laugh at the thought.

Bruce adjusted his glasses and spun his head to the unannounced laughter. He stepped forward towards the surprising chortle, completely befuddled. First the man thanked him, and the next he was laughing.

_What did you do, Banner...? _He thought genuinely concerned, over analyzing Stark as a blush crossed his face. _Is _the_ Tony Stark...embarrassed...?_

"I'm sorry. You're welcome for the help, I should be thanking you again really, but what's so funny?" he sounded overly worried about what the billionaire was thinking in his head. Bruce knew that he was one of the few people he could talk to intellectually and yet he could hardly read him at all. Someone he could consider a friend and he wanted to keep that for now.

Tony blushed a bit realizing he probably should have tried to hold that laugh in a bit. He didn't really want to tell Banner his thoughts, but he also didn't want the man to think it was something he did wrong. _He'll probably see the humor in it. Maybe he'll even laugh. _He thought to himself with a small smile.

"Well standing out here with you like this, it kind of feels like I'm dropping you off after a date." He laughed a bit more at just the thought of Banner _letting _him get all the way to his door after a date. _He'd probably say something about how it'd get him to worked up. _ It embarrassed him to be thinking this kind of thing about a man, but it just seemed to fit the situation.

A mix between a sigh of relief and a snort came out of Bruce that surprised even himself. He let out a light laugh after that just to calm him down. His tight shoulders relaxed and had to look at the other man straight in the face. Tony had quite a handsome face, even though it was definitely showing signs of tiredness at that point. It looked perfect, the kind of face a playboy, which he indeed was, would have. Seemed odd to that a man like that would have nice dates. Ones that weren't just taking out the trash in the morning.

"And here I thought I was gonna be the butt of the joke. But if you're going to drop me off after a date, a goodnight kiss is in order. Still need to be a gentleman and all," he teased, but in a manner that seemed awfully serious.

Tony smiled at the man's words. He would never make fun of him, tease him yes, but never make fun of him. _Is he serious? Does he really want me to kiss him? _Tony thought for a moment. He _had _been looking at Bruce's pink lips. They looked soft and in all honesty irresistible.

"How rude of me. Allow me to be a proper gentleman and correct that." Without missing another beat Tony took the man's chin gently and kissed him. It was a gentle kiss, only a peck-which wasn't what he generally did-but it sent sparks in his mind.

Stark pulled away slightly, only far enough for their lips to be apart. He didn't release the man's chin.

"Good night," he whispered knowing he was still close enough for the doctor to feel his breath.

"T-Tony..." Bruce managed to whisper after a long pause and the realization of what actually happened. He was kissed, oh god, how long has that been? Their hot breath mixing together. Tony's face was so close he couldn't avoid it, even if he tried. His eyes locked on to that of the other genius' in the room and suddenly realized that they were the same colour as his own. Stark had definitely forced Banner to stop his game of diverting his eyes away from him, the man's hand still kept his head in place. In doing so, however, poor Banner looked like a deer in the headlights, trapped underneath the bigger man.

If Stark couldn't see the obvious blush that had come across Banner's face, he could definitely feel it against his lightly stubbled skin. It felt cooling against his skin and didn't feel unwelcomed. The kiss, even though brief, still lingered on his lips. His own body wanted to betray him and taste what the other man left behind, but he still held control over his actions. A tease, a tease for something his body craved, but he knew he could never divulge into. That was only proven with Betty. Another thing his 'condition' took away from him.

Bruce didn't need to know that his heart rate had elevated, if he heard the familiar beeping of his heart monitor, then he would have to worry. Still, he still regulated his breathing like he was taught and managed to act pretty calm, even though his face gave away his startled demeanor. He knew how wrong it was for him to think about wanting more, but he couldn't help but lead to the different possibilities. His over analytical mind driving him crazy.

Then the other realization: Stark was still holding him. _Is this what he wants..._the smaller man pondered slightly intrigued and disturbed. Only way to find out was to ask.

"T-Tony...w-what are you doing...?" the smaller man managed to ask while staring at Stark's handsome features, partially out of curiosity now, but also due to the fact his head was pinned right in front of him.

Tony watched as the man's face turned red. He smiled a bit. _He's so cute. _He knew he was playing with fire surprising Bruce and in such a sensual way. He was surprised that Bruce hadn't just pushed him away. Perhaps his "always angry" technique worked out well even in _these _kinds of surprises.

Stark looked into the man's eyes for the first time. The dark eyes resembled his own, but still mesmerized them. They were just beautiful, there was no other word to describe them. He found his eyes trailing to the man's lips again. He had his lips pressed to the other man's only for a small moment, yet he could still taste him. Now that he had a taste he wanted more, but that would have to wait for another time. A time when Bruce wouldn't Hulk out and a time Tony was sure he wanted the same thing.

"Why Bruce, I am just being a proper gentleman and kissing you like you suggested." He answered like a smartass. "I didn't realize I did it so bad you couldn't tell what it was. Perhaps you'd like me to try again?" His tone was obviously teasing.

"O-once is good enough...," he stuttered hiding what he wanted. But his wants and want he _should/could_ do were two different entities in itself. As much as he pushed physical and emotional contact with others away, he truly craved it. This was more than he had in all his years running around combined, and it was clearly getting him worked up. Not that he wanted Stark to know that.

"Um...could you, err, would you, um...mind moving off of me...?" Banner managed to ask while his brain was in overdrive and causing his words to crash around. Stark was obviously strong, and he felt that while he had his grip on him. He was strong, but still seemed caring. It made him feel like he was potentially not a monster. Although, that was thought was lost in the bombardment of his mind reminding him what he has done.

"Of course." He said letting go of the man's chin and backing away a bit. He was quite impressed by the man's forwardness in his request. Usually Bruce just grinned and bared it. Tony reluctantly took another tentative step back to give the man more space. It was obvious by the blush on his face that Banner was working on controlling himself.

"Sorry big guy, I just couldn't resist teasing you, but if it makes you feel any better it was a pretty damn good kiss." He said with a wink teasing him once again. _A damn good kiss indeed. _Tony thought to himself, he wondered if he do it again if given the chance. He was reluctant to bid Bruce good night once more, he longed to find out if he would repeat his actions if given the chance, because in all honesty he really didn't know.

"T-thanks, but knowing someone of your stature, I'm positive you'd have more fun than that on a nightly basis," the small man said regaining enough composure to fool around. It was clear that he was still riled up, but looked more confident than before. He looked at Tony longingly, but was luckily saved by the opening of the elevator door.

"Um...I guess this is goodnight then...," he said returning the other man's greeting. In his mind the thought of returning the gesture Tony had given him briefly came up, but was quickly shoved to the back so Bruce wouldn't have to get any more embarrassed for the night.

"Sweet dreams big guy." with that Tony walked to his room in an attempt to salvage any form of comfort the man might have with him. He was quite glad that Bruce was able to joke with him again, but it stung a bit. He was definitely going to take playboy out his description of himself. He had never felt bad about his promiscuity before, at least not like this. With one teasing comment the doctor had made his opinion of the man's activities clear.

_Fuck! That small man got into my head way too quick there. _He crawled into bed grateful for the way the silk sheets comforted him. "JARVIS set an alarm for eight o'clock."

"Yes sir, shall I have Dummy have breakfast prepared by then?"

"Yes that sounds good, breakfast for me and the big guy too." With that Tony fell into a slumber thinking of tomorrow's breakfast with Bruce.


	2. Chapter 2 Restoration

**Thank you guys for the feedback! It's appreciated! To let you know who my partner writer is, her pen name is himewarrior1016. We're having tons of fun writing this and we're up to six chapters already, but we're only gonna post here on weekly increments. Might change if we either start writing chapters too fast or you guys ask for it. Thanks again!  
We do not own Marvel or its characters, but you would be damn sure we would if we could. **

Chapter 2- Restoration

Bruce turned into his room and finally got to lick his lips like his body o' so craved. It tasted sweet and lingered on his tongue gratefully. Too long. It had been way too long since he has even had a taste of another human being. Hell, he hadn't had anyone to touch him that didn't fear him. This someone actually encouraged his abilities, and potentially looked up to him.

_That felt good...No use in hiding it, but ugh! It's not like you can do anything about it, Banner. Your little friend on your wrist would have a fit if you did, _he sighed taking off his glasses so he could rub his brow out of frustration. _You remember why you got away from people now? At least one reason right there. _

The thought of the other man kissing him still persisted though. No matter how much he tried to push it into the farther recesses of his mind. He even got changed, or rather stripped down into a smaller amount of clothes, to sleep once again and yet it would still play over and over again. Stark's perfect face holding him still, the tingling of his beard on his own stubble, and his soft and warm lips on his own. Banner groaned and rolled over to have his face bury itself in the pillow below. Not even thinking about ways to improve the Mach VII could keep his mind off the track it was at.

Banner sighed and let out another moan into the pillow. In a muffled and quiet voice he stated, "Well...so much for sleeping tonight."

And with that proceeded to fight with himself the entire night until it was evident outside of his room that the sun had started to rise. He turned and positioned himself so he could get out of bed easily enough and headed out into the hall, not bothering to change out of his boxers and open shirt pajamas, but remembers to grab his glasses he placed on the counter next to his pants.

_Might as well get some coffee or tea. Can try to make it seem like you slept, Banner, _he thought to himself as he started down the hall. A kitchen was noticeable a little ways down, and the burning smell emanating from it only confirmed it. Inside of it, a robot was burning toast in the corner. In the center of the room was a counter with stools around it. To one side was the latest newspaper that something in this Tower must have picked up and brought it here. Not willing to question it further and hoping to have something to distract himself, he whips out his glasses, puts them on, and begins reading.

At eight o'clock exactly JARVIS woke Tony up for breakfast. Tony pulled himself out of bed, it was one of the rare mornings he didn't have a hangover and it felt great. After going to the bathroom and getting dressed in his usual tee-shirt and jeans combo, he headed down the kitchen for breakfast. Seeing the doctor very memory from the last night flooded his mind, frankly he didn't find them unpleasant. He looked at the man's attire and smiled a bit surprised he was comfortable to walk around in Pajamas.

"Hey, big guy, good morning. Sleep well?" He asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He smelled the burnt toast and sighed. Dummy was probably his most incompetent machine, but he did save his life and that was enough to make him put up with some blackened toast. "Sorry for Dummy's cooking, I know it leaves much to be desired, but I can't bring myself to do much about it."

"It's no problem at all, it's only a healthy golden brown," the doctor said while still feeling out of it. He was reading about the Chitauri attack and how the cleanup had started to make a huge dent in the city. And then he sudden realization while looking down at the bottom of the article and he spotted his boxers in the corner of his vision.

"Sorry for my attire. Just woke up and all. When you wake up, without realizing where you are, naked half the time, it kinda grows on you," Bruce joked as he started to button up the bottom of his dress shirt to make him seem a tad bit more presentable. His intense reading in the newspaper was keeping him focused for the first time that morning. As wonderful as such a little surprise Tony could give, he didn't want to be fighting his embarrassment again in such a little time span.

Tony chuckled at both of the man's statements. He quite enjoyed the view in front of him, but he wasn't about to ask him not to cover his body. His eyes examined the man slowly. "No no your attire is just fine, it's quite obvious that you're fishing for a good morning kiss." He teased grabbing a plate of food and sitting next to him.

He looked at the newspaper with a bit of a frown. So much damage caused not only by the Chitauri, but also the Avengers' attempts at stopping the damn aliens. So many lives lost. Tony felt a wave of sadness crawl over him. Suddenly he wanted a drink. "Dummy bring me a glass of scotch."

The robot brought him a fair sized glass of the strong alcohol and he sipped at it as he read the paper over Bruce's shoulder. "We should get to work soon huh?" That's all he did to forget his pains drink and work, drink and work. It was probably the reason he could never hold a serious relationship for long.

"It's not even seven in the morning, Mr. Sta-er-Tony. You sure you wanna start drinking already this early?" Bruce asked genuinely concerned. Unfortunately he was still getting used to being informal too. The only time it felt natural was when Tony had parted his lips from his own. It slipped out, but felt gratifying all the same.

"But if we're going to get started, please let me grab my pants first. A shower would probably be nice too," he said grabbing a cup of coffee and downing it so he could rush to get changed. As often as he would rewear clothes back in Calcutta, his presence might be more appreciated after a shower and a swap in apparel.

Tony looked at the man surprised he spoke up about his drinking. He sighed closing his eyes as he spoke. "I just felt like having a drink right now. Does it really bother you?" his answer sounded as if he was asked the same question many times before. Most people he didn't care how they felt about his drinking, even with alcohol in his system he could hold a much more intelligent conversation than most people in the world, but Bruce he respected. If the man next to him didn't want him to drink before they started working then he wouldn't.

"Take your time." he said wanting a chance to read the whole article in the newspaper and finish his drink. The more of the article he read the faster he drank the strong alcohol. It used to burn his throat as it went down, as it had Bruce's last night, but now it was just a natural part of his day;as natural as brushing his teeth or taking a shower.

"No problem. Just wondering, you're allowed to do as you please," Bruce said kindly trying not to offend any more than he already had. Stark's drinking was his own choice, and he had no right to take it away from him.

"I'll be ready in a bit," with that Dr. Banner took off for his extravagant room and made way to the equally fancy bathroom. The shower was gargantuan, just like everything else in the Tower, and was filled with all sorts of shampoos, conditioners, and soaps. Quickly, the small man discarded the little clothes he had on and took the nicest shower he had in years. Having warm water pretty much made it the greatest thing in the world. Unable to differentiate the different labels on the bottles, he chose two at random hoping that they were at least two different products and began to cleanse his hair. Luckily he managed to shampoo and then condition and his hair felt the softest it had been in years. It was also more fragrant than was necessary, but at the moment he didn't care. He picked up a random bar of soap, which was also very potent, and a wash cloth. Scrubbing himself down with a clean bar of soap may have been foreign, but he did miss it greatly.

In a few minutes he was out of the shower and smelled like each different product distinctively. He rushed to dry off and threw on some new clothes that Tony had given him the other day. A checkered pair of boxers, navy blue dress shirt, and another pair of off-white pants. They were slightly baggy, unfitting like everything else he bought nowadays. His hair was still dripping wet, but he didn't seem to mind a little moisture on his shoulders. Bruce made sure to put on his wristwatch and grabbed his glasses as he walked out of his room to see Tony sitting in the kitchen still reading the paper.

"I feel as scented as a perfume sampler at a department store," Banner announced as he stood behind Stark's back trying to read parts of the newspaper he could see with the aid of his glasses that he snuck on his face.

While Bruce had been in the shower Tony had finished the article and finished his drink as well. He had considered another, but if he was to get work done another strong drink would be a bad idea, so he settled for a glass of light wine. All he felt was pain when reading about all the deaths and damage. He was now reading an article called "Avengers, Friends or Foes?" At first he thought it would be a bunch of BS about how they did so much damage and the green monster had been unleashed again, but as he read into the comments of the civilians his mood began to lighten. People were speaking in light even of the Hulk, this really made him smile.

When the man came up behind him, he inhaled and chuckled. "You smell very fragrant, I take it you had no problem finding the toiletries. " He chuckled lightly turning his head to get a better smell. "Smells like cucumber melon," he knew he was being awkward having his face right next to Bruce's again, but he couldn't help teasing the man a bit, it always brightened his mood.

"Apparently in the eyes of the public we're heroes, but to the city government we're the worst thing to appear since Thor himself, because of all the damage _we _supposedly caused." all of this he said with his mouth right by the man's ear. He gave a laugh and shook his head amazed at how ungrateful some people could be just because of money.

"Yeah well...I know I caused some damage at least," Banner thought back to the holes in the building opposite to his room. But his mind didn't get to roll on about his destructive habits for once again Tony was making his way into his mind. He was way too close, but it was a friendly presence that he knew he was trying to play with him to push his buttons.

_ is just toying with you again. Calm down, Banner. Just relax, _he thought, but showed no signs of really obeying his own intentions. His lip quivered at the thought of the gorgeous man next to him. A warm breath huffing on his ear and neck with the slight tickle of his beard on his exposed skin in the area. It felt amazing. His body wanted Tony to touch him, desperately so. So much teasing and taunting in such a little amount of time, thoughts were rushing him back into areas he didn't want to tread, or areas he couldn't tread.

Bruce folded his hands to distract himself and bit his bottom lip lightly so he could feel like he was in control, just how much control was to be determined. His heart monitor on his wrist wasn't flaring off alarms yet, so he had to time cool down. He inhaled slowly, with an equally long exhale and repeated. The blush that had appeared the night before came back again, even with his relaxation techniques.

Stark frowned at the man's comment "You caused damage, but you saved billions of lives, so it doesn't really matter." He reassured the man. Mistaking the man's body language as one of embarrassment and guilt, Tony stood and turned to the man so they were now facing each other. He put his hands on his shoulders. "Bruce," he said seriously, "You have to stop beating yourself up about the past, what happened happened and you can't change it, but you've already taken the next step; you are not only controlling yourself you are using your condition for good. I mean, as the Hulk, you saved my life, if you had never gotten this condition, I'd be dead right now. You are not a monster."

He pulled the man into a tight hug, to emphasize that not only was he not afraid of the man and his other side, but to show he cared about him. He leaned into the man's ear and whispered, "You are Dr. Bruce Banner, a genius with eight PHDs and the kindest man I know, no amount of Hulking out will ever change that. Never forget that."

Even after saying that, he didn't release the man from the hug. His warmth was hypnotizing and his scent intoxicating. Tony could feel the arc reactor was pushing against the man's chest and he hoped it wasn't too uncomfortable because, until Banner asked him to, Stark wasn't going to let this embrace, warmth, or emotion end.

Banner was stunned. Literally stunned. He couldn't move, couldn't think, couldn't process what was happening around him. He had never heard anything like what Tony had just said. It was entirely foreign. Stark Tower seemed so much more normal than what had just happened in comparison. Tony wasn't one to play around the bush. That was obvious. Hearing these words come from him was really an honour. Never had Bruce felt comfortable with himself, but if there was a moment he did, it was in Tony Stark's arms right then and there.

_W-what's happening...?_ Bruce thought to himself. Some of his thoughts came back to figure out that question for himself. Honestly, he was happy. Truly happy that someone, anyone, could possibly think that. The embrace was just proving that. Tears started to roll down the sides of his face. It wasn't possible to control, his emotions were taking over and he had no will to fight them. They were warm, and felt surprisingly good to let out. In the arms of Tony, he was safe. Safer than he had ever been and he could feel it. He could let down his emotional barrier some and not care. He was still biting on to his lip from earlier which only clenched tighter when some muffled sobs started to escape. Bruce tilted his head into the taller man's shoulder and just let the tears pool there. Even though he was willing to let out his emotions for once, it didn't stop the embarrassment from letting them out in front of another. One step at a time, the small doctor could only handle so much at once.

Stark's warming hug was keeping the doctor close. So close Bruce could feel the heat emitted from the arc reactor in his chest. It was sort of uncomfortable, only due to the metal pushing against his own chest, but the sensation felt too amazing for him to care. Regaining some control over himself, even though his tears persisted along with some weeps that snuck out, Banner managed to pull his arms under Stark's own to wrap around him. He clutched onto the back of Tony's shirt as if to try and hold him closer.

Bruce needed this, a time in his life where he could let go, a time where his feelings and emotions could be let out. He didn't care. Right now, there was someone there for him. Something his life had taken away from time and time again before. Holding onto Tony made it seem like this connection would never have to go away. Not only that, but he helped him, saved him even. Stark came back from the dead because of the other guy.

"T-thank you," Bruce sobbed into Tony's shoulder. He went back to biting his lip to be more courteous and so Tony wouldn't have to hear the little sounds that he made.

Tony couldn't believe this display of emotion was coming from Dr. Banner. He couldn't believe the warm dampness he felt forming on his shoulder, he couldn't believe the sounds he was hearing, but most of all he couldn't believe the arms he felt around him. How long had it been since someone actually touched him, or comforted him like this? Had no one really told him how special he really was? _No wonder he remains so distant, when everyone treats him like a monster about to snap._

Tony couldn't imagine a life of isolation to protect people, just to have them spit in your face when you save them. One of his hands went into the man's still damp hair stroking it gently, to comfort him. His hair was so soft, so sweet. He noticed the man's attempts to keep quiet, which was pretty obvious considering it sounded like he went from weeping to strangled sobs.

"Hey hey, come on big guy you don't have to hold back on my account. Let it out, we all need to blow off steam sometimes. Besides after this its my turn to cry on your shoulder," he teased. Star didn't want the man to feel embarrassed about displaying this emotion, he wanted him to know that they could trust each other enough to be open like this.

Bruce shook his head at Stark's statement, his wet hair adding to the now damp shirt of Tony Stark. The heart monitor for a wristwatch had started to beep slowly and had started to gradually increase in tempo. It was time for the small man to calm down, which he accepted. He wouldn't feel short changed this time, he got to let out his emotions and even the other guy couldn't take that away right now.

The sobs slowly stopped and his respiration regulated itself out of habit again. Tears rolling down his face began to stop and dry. When he seemed all regulated, his one emotional breakdown done, he still clung onto Stark not wanting the moment to end. It was one genuine thing he had in his life currently. What else was he supposed to do? Bruce was practically leaning his entire weight onto the man, who still supported him through it. The embrace of Tony allowed for a comforting sweet scent, now mixed with the salty smell of tears, to help him ease. Now was the time where he could truly rest himself.

Bruce took in a deep breath and let it out onto the shoulder he clung to and whispered a "thank you," once again to the man holding him up.

Stark smiled as he continued to hold the man gently. The weight of the man didn't bother him at all, in contrary he welcomed it. _The _Bruce Banner was literally leaning on him. As the man calmed down, Tony didn't let his arms slacken at all. It was a nice feeling having someone that trusted him enough to show him their vulnerable side. Especially Bruce Banner. Had this man _ever _showed _anyone _his vulnerable side? He was amazed he was privy to the sight.

"Anytime big guy, anytime," he wholeheartedly meant it, he actually hoped the man leaning on him would go to him again if he needed to cry, or anything that showed more emotion than polite exchanges when working or eating. As much as Tony wanted to get started on working, he wanted to be here even more. "Bruce, I mean what I say , you can come to me anytime. Anytime you want be it if you're happy, sad, scared, it doesn't matter. I'm your friend so don't be embarrassed to come to me."

Banner hadn't let out that much emotion longer than he could remember. And the best part, he was still himself. Everything was right with the world. He was still holding onto Stark, and Stark wasn't in pieces all over the room. This would have gone far better than Banner had anticipated if he actually tried to this about what the possibilities could have been. However, Tony made all the worries disappear. It was practically magic.

_I don't think I've ever done anything like that before...Not since mother..._, he stopped thinking. There was no point in going into sad memories at the moment. He had a friend there, someone to take care of him and who wasn't afraid of time. And he actually liked it.

The beeping of Dr. Banner's heart monitor had subsided and the tiredness of a good cry swept over him. A feeling he hadn't had since he was a child. It felt reassuring in the arms of Tony Stark. A friend. Someone who cared. The idea was still mind boggling, but that was something for future Banner to think about. His late night escapades of trying to sleep were catching up and finally he felt like he could sleep.

And so he did. Bruce fell asleep on the shoulder of one of the world's richest men, his only friend and science bro. Even in his sleep, he lightly clung onto the sides of Stark's t shirt. His entire weight on top of the man, not even ten minutes ago, he was thinking about kissing. For once, his sleep was peaceful.

Tony stood there for a few minutes before he realized the man had fallen asleep on him. He wanted to laugh but he didn't want to disturb what looked to be Bruce's first peaceful sleep since he met him. Tony adjusted himself a bit to pick up the sleeping man, he was quite grateful for his smaller size. He prayed Bruce was sleeping hard enough to not be awoken by his movements as he carried him to the guest room. Gently, very gently, Stark put the man down in his bed and covered him.

"Sweet dreams, big guy," he whispered as he left the room. "JARVIS please alert me when Dr. Banner wakes up."

"Yes sir." the voice said as he walked toward the elevator. Tony's shirt was still a bit damp, but he welcomed it, he didn't want to stop relishing in what had happened just yet. Going to the lab he began finishing his repairs on his suit.

_It's quiet, too quiet. Why is that it feels emptier without the big guy here? _he thought to himself with a sigh. As soon as the suit was finished he put it on and began the construction on the top three floors of Stark Tower.

Dr. Banner woke up for the first time in years feeling rested-something that apparently escaped him after his accident. He rolled over on the bed remembering his dream. He had let loose his emotions after years while Tony had said something he wanted to hear more than anything else in the world and showed it in his actions. That he wasn't a monster, that he could really help people, and that he wasn't alone.

The doctor went to whip away the sleep from and felt his still damp hair from sleeping on it awkwardly. _So I did take that shower and so really..._he thought to himself and a smile crept on his face. It was real. Not a figment of his imagination that wanted to play tricks on him. There really was someone to care for him and it gave way to a warm feeling that he had missed like many other things in his life.

Getting up from bed, Banner headed to the bathroom to wash his face, since his crying episode remained evident on his face even after his rest. When he was done he headed back to the kitchen to find it empty. _Not surprising, don't know why you bothered looking here first. He's probably working on his suit right now, _he thought to himself while turning around to head to the elevator. Once arriving at the third floor of Research and Development and finding it empty the doctor was left puzzled. He started fiddling with his hands when he heard a familiar voice chime up on the intercom.

"If you are looking for Mr. Stark, Dr. Banner, he is at the top floor of the Tower repairing what he can," JARVIS stated.

"Oh..Okay. Thank you, JARVIS," he said politely for the whereabouts of the famous Tony Stark. Returning to the elevator, Bruce twiddled his thumbs while waiting for JARVIS to take him to his destination.

Tony was working on the basic set up of the walls on the three floors. His mind was spread into too many places to work on things like the plumbing or electricity. _This place is going to be great! Hell, if I get Bruce's help maybe we can have it done by the end of the month, then the rest of the Avengers can move in. _Tony was genuinely excited to have the whole group together, even the Captain. It'd be the start of a proper team and this way the next alien attack they'd be ready to work as a well oiled machine rather than six separate gears.

"Sir, Dr. Banner is awake."

"Thank you JARVIS, please inform him of where I am." He wanted the man to come up and see how far he had gotten on their plans.

"He's on his ways up."

"Thank you JARVIS." He continued his work waiting for the other man to come up. He didn't know why, but it put him at ease to know his brother of science was going to be near him again. It just made doing work easier when he could discuss it with someone who understood everything he was saying, it helped him process everything he was doing a bit better.

The elevator doors opened to Stark playing around on the three dimensional computer system that he had set up around the Tower and was playing around with what looked like to be this floor from the distance. Banner stepped out into the damaged room and stood next to the busy man. Upon closer inspection, aid from the glasses that he carried around in his breast pocket, he was correct about the plans.

Keeping to his comfort zone, Banner kept his hands folded while coming out of the elevator, but felt more confident standing next to the man he was with. There was a trust that had built itself quickly due to their similarities in intellect and understanding of one another. Examining the layout, he noticed a few details that Tony had added to the blueprints he designed last night to the preexisting draft. Mainly the floor was being reconstructed for the Avengers meeting base, but there were new elevators added that connect to each of the Avengers' rooms down below.

"Smart thinking, but do you think we can really get rid of the bar up here? That'll probably cool down a lot of stress from saving the world and all," Bruce said trying to start the conversation for once. A tad awkward due to the inflections in his voice, but still easy to tell he was fooling around like how much Tony does to him.

Stark smiled at the man as he approached. He watched the man as he came with hands folded. Banner's closer spacing hadn't gone unnoticed, it made him feel a bit happy, but he decided not to look too much into it at the moment. "That's a good point. Besides I'd hate to get rid of my best set up personal bar."

He chuckled adding the bar to the holographic designs in front of him. It still fit well and didn't completely throw off the professionalism of the room. "I think I'll add some modifications to it, nothing big. Maybe a soda dispenser and a coffee maker so there's something up here everyone will like, because I certainly don't see the captain getting hammered or even drinking. JARVIS, please pull up the basic blueprints for a coffee maker and a soda dispenser."

"Yes, sir." Up came the blueprints and Tony went to making notes on the screen on how to make a more advanced version of each thing, because god forbid Tony Stark have normal appliances.

"So big guy, you sleep well?" He asked still focusing on his work. This was a habit he had. He'd get so engrossed in his work that talking to him meant not receiving much eye contact and sometimes not much attention. Yet, with Banner he managed to pull his mind away just enough to properly acknowledge the other man's presence and hold some polite conversation.

"Yes," he said for the first time honestly about the subject. Like Stark, he too got absorbed in his work easily. The fact that Stark wasn't trying to stare him down then and there helped ease the doctor immensely and allowed him to focus more at the task at hand.

They both worked together arranging the floor plan so that it would be perfect for the Avengers to stay there: a table for everyone to sit, surveillance systems for alien and super attack, appliances, computers, etc. Anything and everything to get the team up and running. The only thing now was to clean up the place and fix the plumbing and electricity that had been damaged in the fight.

"Looks good," Dr. Banner stated looking at their completed work. He wasn't much of an architect, but he could still feel the accomplishment for helping get the group of the ground, even if he was still a little uneasy at the promise of him being in said group.

Stark gave a big grin. "I do believe the completion of these plans calls for celebration. JARVIS, have dummy send up a bottle of champagne and two glass."

"Yes, sir. Shall I also have him send up chocolate covered strawberries?" Stark blushed at the machine's suggestion. Champagne and chocolate covered strawberries was what he and Pepper had to celebrate things.

"No thank you, JARVIS. Just the champagne." He turned to the other man and smiled "Think you can handle the champagne? I promise it's light," he teased. Tony took a good look at Bruce. He had to say the man was quite attractive when he worked, or just successfully finished work. That determined look that he got, the way he ran his hand through his just under messy hair, it really made the time pass faster.

"If it's not like what you tried to kill me with last time, I think I'll be fine. I like how JARVIS already has snacks planned ahead though," Banner smiled while keeping his gaze to the work he just finished. It was something he always did, just eyeing his good work almost wishing that there was more to do. When he got into a project, it seemed like he never wanted it to end. But the next project helped move past it.

_I can handle it..._Bruce thought to himself. At the moment, he didn't want to hide himself. He already treaded dangerous waters earlier from his crying fit and if he wanted to break anymore of his rules today, he might as well. Being human hadn't hurt him yet today; it was time to actually live for once, even if it was only briefly.

Bruce managed to break contact with the display and look around at the damaged that had transpired at the Tower. There was broken glass scattered everywhere and then a couple of very obvious holes in the ground. He started to mess with his hair trying to remember what had happened there. No real memories developed, but he did remember a high pitched moaning sound. While playing with his hair, he finally realized it was practically standing up on end. Not having paid much attention to the mirror in the bathroom, it was very obvious Banner had a horrible case of bedhead due to his unexpected nap after his shower. A small laugh escaped from him, just for how oblivious he had been for the past couple of hours working.

"I promise it is _nothing _like what I gave you last night." He said taking the drinks from Dummy and handing one to the other man. He held up his glass proudly. "Cheers, to the newly designed Avengers Tower."

Sipping his own he took a look around the damaged floor. "I was thinking of leaving the Loki shaped hole in the floor. I think it'll boost morale anytime we're having a bad day."

Tony liked the way Bruce's hair looked, it was quite alluring in its own messy way. Once again looking at the plans he nodded. "Yup, we did a great job on this. We should get work started tomorrow, I'm hoping it will be ready for the rest of the Avengers to move in within a month."

Within a couple minutes Tony had drained his glass of champagne and was halfway through another. He preferred a stronger drink, but he liked drinking in the company of someone else more. Frankly, he couldn't ask the big guy to go on a binge with him, when he knew the other man had to monitor his heart rate. _That must be the biggest buzzkill that God has ever created. How long has it been since Bruce has been allowed to cut loose and do what ever the fuck he truly wanted?_

It hurt his heart to think of all the sadness the other man had to sustain in the name of protection for those around him, all the people who spited him when all he did was protect them, or work to help them. How could Bruce ever smile?

"Cheers," Bruce said taking a glass after looking around, only to take a small sip from it to begin with. It was a lot more manageable to drink than what he had the previous night, but even while going against his own code, he couldn't help but monitor himself anyways. Only occasionally he'd take a sip, and that was when Stark was looking to be polite.

Banner couldn't help but let out a laugh at the idea of keeping the hole in the ground to boost moral though. The thought just seemed too priceless. However, it did strike him that there even WAS a Loki shaped hole in the ground, in the first place.

"I'm going to go on a whim and assume that Thor didn't run his own brother into the ground now did he?" Bruce managed to ask after his giggle fit.

Tony coughed awkwardly at the man's comment. He wasn't exactly there to know who put Loki into the floor, but he had a pretty good idea of who was the only one strong enough and willing to smash him against the ground so many times. Having no idea how the other man would take finding out _he _put Loki in the ground he decided to tell him what he thought. "I wouldn't know I wasn't in the building at the time, when we all came to reprimand him was the first I saw of him since I had put on the suit. All I know is, whoever did I owe a big hug because that was the most amazing sight to come home to."

He started to laugh a bit. He felt bad that he didn't tell the other man that he had guessed the Hulk had been the one to make the special imprints in his floor, but he didn't feel the need to point that out. Draining his second glass Tony poured himself a third and began sipping at it. Hoping to steer the conversation away from anything that might make Bruce feel guilty or uncomfortable, considering Tony had finally got him to loosen up, he decided to bring up the only issue with keeping the holes. "Thor might not appreciate seeing it though. He may be one of the most brutish people I know, but he is loyal to the core, I can respect that."

"True," Bruce said turning away from the hole. Even if Stark was holding out on him, it was pretty evident on who would leave that sort of indent. But he nodded and downed the rest of his drink to put it in the back of his mind.

Dr. Banner went back to the work area and placed his glass on the side of the table. Next to Stark again, he noticed the more than half empty bottle of wine sitting next to the man. Bruce let out an amused huff of air at the sight. It just showed something he respected about Tony besides his intellect and acceptance: he did what he wanted. Another reason why he was accepting of Bruce, and the doctor could easily see that.

"Whoa, didn't think you'd be _that _adventurous today." He teased walking to admire their work. It was something _they _made together and frankly Tony thought it was the best damn modification to Stark Tower he had ever seen. He looked at the other man. "So exactly how adventurous are you feeling today?"

Tony wanted to get Bruce not only out the lab, but out the Tower. They hadn't been out anywhere since they got Shawarma. He wanted to take Bruce to a high class restaurant he really liked. It was a quiet classy setting, but there was always someone there that recognized him. There might even be someone who recognizes Bruce, from before he went into hiding.

Bruce pondered the question for a moment. Just how adventurous was he feeling? Not enough to actually Hulk out, but just enough to live for a day would suffice. The man noticed Stark's nearly empty glass and filled it for him.

"I've been feeling pretty brave so far today. Better watch out," Banner said playfully, but the last warning did seem to be very honest. Even when he let loose, the safety of others always came first to him.

Tony smiled and down the newly topped off glass. He was surprised Bruce had _encouraged _his drinking most people took the bottle away from him by the time he was reaching for his third glass. This man actually accepted what some people called his "drinking problem" instead of trying to make him stop.

"There's a really nice restaurant downtown, or if you're feeling _really _adventurous I could cook for us." He laughed at the thought his cooking was probably worse than Dummy's. All he could make was cereal or maybe a half decent sandwich.

"Think I might be crazy, but lets be daredevils here. I'll help you if you need it," Bruce smirked. It _would_ be an adventure, but that was only part of the reason. Dr. Banner knew that Captain Ross would be on his ass in New York if he turned the corner after the obvious Hulk siting. He needed to lay low before venturing out, or until S.H.I.E.L.D. would get Ross to stop the Hulk Busters.

"Shall we start now?" Banner offered, gesturing to the elevator. He normally didn't eat much, but considering he fell asleep at breakfast, he was a tad hungrier than usual.

Tony nodded and went to the elevator. "Okay so I can make sandwiches and cereal and sandwiches and cereal and sandwiches and cereal. Or if you're _really _hungry I can make sandwiches and cereal." He laughed knowing he was being silly, but it was the truth cooking was not his strong suit.

"Oh and if you wanna give me three hours I might be able to make a decent omelet. How bout you? Can the man with eight PHDs make anything that is an actual meal but won't kill us?" He never really enjoyed talking about his faults, especially one as bad as his cooking, but he trusted Bruce and he knew he probably wouldn't tease him...much.

"That's a very good question. I've learned how to make some very...ethnic foods on my travels from some nice patients of mine, but I'm not sure if that will suffice or if my cooking will do it justice," Bruce laughed it off awkwardly scratching his head. He could tell that Tony didn't talk down about himself normally, and it looked like it was going to potentially hurt himself by doing so. Hoping that his own lack of proficiency in the same area would help Tony to be Stark-y again.

"Guess it's time for me to venture off into one of the most stressful cities in the world. Great," the doctor said sarcastically. "Shall you lead the way?"

"Well let's make a contest of it, who can make the food that seems most likely to kill us, but won't." He laughed. It was quite obvious by Bruce's statement he wasn't really ready to go out to the still messed up city. Tony really wanted to have a nice meal with Bruce, not a meal of the other man fidgeting nervously to keep his heart rate down.

"We'll even make it interesting, winner gets first crack at the new lab when we finish building it." Tony smiled, if that didn't convince the other man to play his game he didn't know what would. "Or we could do winner gets a kiss." He teased like the smart ass he was.

"I think the first is the best," Banner said maladroitly. He had managed to forget about his compromising situation with Mr. Stark last evening that made him lose most of his sleep for that night. Tensing up at the thought of it, he placed his hands in front of him like he normally does. But the thought of the competition to win the lab would be most interesting. Not that he wouldn't get to use it eventually, even Bruce Banner could enjoy a little game or two now and again.

Moving over to the elevator, Bruce entered it with Tony and they were on their way to the kitchen. Upon exiting, Banner stayed behind like normal to allow Tony to lead the way in his domain. He followed past his and Stark's rooms to the kitchen where before them stood the beginning of the challenge.

Opening the fridge there were shelves upon shelves of food. It seemed crazy to have that much food stocked up for only a single man or a single man with an overnight guest. Not thinking too much into that, Banner grabbed some vegetables from a bottom drawer along with some tofu he found at the back of a higher up shelf.

_Well I could make a curry if there's any appropriate spices...,_he thought to himself. Almost immediately after, JARVIS came online to say where spices and dry foods were located in the kitchen making it seem like both men needed the help even though it was Tony's own building. Banner said his thanks to the computer and started cooking some rice he found in a pantry that JARVIS said it would be located at. He then went on to chop up some of the vegetables he found.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stark concentrating on his masterpiece. He looked handsome, but silly trying so hard to make something awful. Not only that, they way he focused on working even in a mindless competition he had a look that made him very attractive. Then the sudden realization that Banner was thinking about his friend in such a way made him have to shake his head to focus his attention and mind to the meaningless vegetable dicing he was doing.

Stark was doing his best to make turkey sandwiches with large fingerprints. He added blue and limburger cheese for bad smell and color. He got some mustard and mayo out the fridge adding them in messily. He looked at it wondering what he could do to make it worse. He then remembered seeing some wilted lettuce in the fridge. He took it out and began cutting. "OW FUCK!"

His exclamation came with a finger being held up dripping blood. Now he felt like an idiot, he couldn't even cut lettuce without hurting himself. _Fuck Tony! Fuck! Why can't you do a task that's as simple as this? _During this process of deep thought it didn't occur to him to start dressing his wound.

Banner whirled around at the scream Tony emitted. This had been the first time he heard Tony genuinely frustrated and well, in pain. His eyes turned to the slowly increasing pool of red on the cutting board. The man with the cut looked completely out of it, not caring for himself, but rather just blankly stared at his wound in frustration.

The smaller man went over to Tony's side not that he noticed him there. Without permission he took Stark's hand and examined the wound. His work in the third world countries hadn't left him yet, he was still quick to the draw if someone needed a doctor in an emergency. Examining the wound more closely, it was only a minor cut, but still something that should be attended to.

"It's nothing serious, Tony. Do you have a first aid kit somewhere? It's an easy patch up," the good doctor told to reassure the very disgruntled face of Tony Stark. Still holding his hand, Bruce looked at him curiously, wondering why the man seemed so out of it.

Tony gave an embarrassed smile, it had been so long since he cut himself in the kitchen he forgot what a kitchen knife to the skin felt like, it was a lot better than his other tools cutting him when his hand slipped, that was for sure. He really couldn't believe he had made such a big fuss over such a minor thing._ What am I, four? Get it together Stark! _

"Sorry if I startled you yelling like that. The first-aid kit is inside the pantry I think." Tony had decided to make sure there was a first-aid kit in every room for the times his toys didn't work out well and caused an issue.

Letting out a sigh of relief, he smiled as Tony regained himself and softened his grip on his hand. It was also that he noticed that he was still holding the other man's hand and a blush crawled up his face. The thoughts from last night couldn't help, but come forth while he was interacting with Stark on a level of touching. Touching was never something he did without a reason, but here it was staying longer than necessary and while he should be retrieving the first aid kit. With this discovery he blushed even brighter and excused himself to get the kit. Finding the kit was no problem with the little aid Tony provided and he was soon by his side again.

"I'm sorry, but this may hurt," Bruce said once again holding the hand of Tony Stark. Cleaning the wound, he could feel Tony's muscles twitch underneath him. After he was done, he covered the cut in a band-aid and dared to look at the larger man even with an obvious blush to his face.

"You alright now?" he asked worriedly.

Tony jumped a bit when the disinfectant was applied. He couldn't believe how much of a wuss he was being. Bruce's grip was so gentle, it even relaxed him a bit. It always made him feel happy when Bruce kept physical contact with him any longer than absolutely necessary, because it was quite obvious Bruce didn't do it often. _I wonder when he'll stop being so jumpy any time I touch him. _He thought remembering back to when he kissed and hugged the man, and how he had stiffened up both times.

"No I'm not alright now, I can't be until you kiss it and make it better." He teased with a laugh. He patted the man on the shoulder with his other hand lightly. "Thanks, Doc. I'll try not to kill myself finishing the sandwiches."

"It would be better that you didn't," the doctor said still worried and narrowed his brow at the thought, but didn't last long because Tony's teasing was breaking away at his mind again. His face was definitely hot and it looked so visibly. Not wanting to share his embarrassment anymore, he turned around to finish up the meal he had started.

After finally finishing up all the veggie chopping, it was time to start making the actually curry. He heated up the pan and put the rather odd combination of veggies into it. Adding the curry and soy milk Banner let the mixture heat up. It wasn't his best dish and the colours of the vegetables made the curry look like cat vomit. Not appetizing, but under Tony's conditions it was totally acceptable.

Making the food was a nice task to keep his mind off of Tony, who had went back to making sandwiches and he purposefully avoided looking at this time. took the curry off the heat along with the rice and found two plates in a cabinet on the far side of the kitchen. He took two and laid out his vegan dish on the table and waited for the other man to be done.

Tony cleaned off the cutting board and threw out the lettuce; his food was generally bad enough without adding the iron-y flavor of his blood. He settled on a large amount of onions. He cut the sandwiches into fourths, managing not to cut himself again. He took the plates of unappetizing sandwiches to the table in the dining room. He frowned at it's size. _It's large enough for all of us to eat together, but when it's just Bruce and I it's so...impersonal. _

"Hey big guy," He called back to the kitchen "Let's see what you got! I seriously doubt you can beat my anti-culinary talents."

Tony never joked about his awful talents to this point before. Usually he gave a fair warning, then when the other person agreed he'd get upset, grab a drink, and get right to work. However with Bruce, he couldn't help but smile. He felt Bruce not just tolerated it, but accepted the fact.

Bruce smiled. Little did anyone hear about Stark failing, let alone here from the mouth of the man himself talking down about himself. It was truly an honour to get the man of legend to speak of his faults and it was only being shared with the pioneer in gamma radiation who was currently competing on proving this fault of his.

The small doctor got up from the chair he was sitting at and handed a plate of green, chunky curry to Stark. In return he took the part of the sandwich he gave in return. Banner wasn't one for eating much, even if the other guy could have cleared out the block with how much he eats. Today though, he seemed to have enough of an appetite for all their food, unfortunately for him, Stark's 'cooking' left more to be desired. He took a bite from the sandwich in front of him and couldn't help but choke. Most of the condiments and cheeses he hadn't had in years and the taste was overwhelming especially with the pile of onions on top that he nearly spat it out. However, he was way too kind for that and forced it down with a much rather displeased look on his face.

"I vote you win," he managed to spit out and grabbed his dish to see if his creation would be able to cover the taste from what he had previously ingested.

Tony laughed a bit with a light blush, he hadn't thought he had done _that _bad. Looking at the curry, he wasn't entirely sure if it was edible by the way it looked. Slowly he took a deep breath and put a fork full of the curry in his mouth. It was actually pretty good, would he ask for it anytime soon? No, but it was good enough for him to eat tonight. The spices were well mixed, but a bit much for him.

"You're right I do, this is pretty good." He said taking another bite. "Good enough for me to share first crack at the lab with you. JARVIS, please make sure to incinerate the trash especially well tonight." He gave a small laugh as he got up to throw out his deadly sandwiches.

He sat back down and smiled. Looking at the other man, he was once again filled with a feeling of being on a date. It made him chuckle inwardly. He wanted to get some conversation going to keep his mind off the awkward situation. "So, what do you think the others will think of their rooms?"

Banner started to slow down and enjoy his meal once the taste of Stark's latest had been flushed out. He noticed in between bites that Tony was watching him and smiling. His perfect smile that rested in between his very stylish beard was still very visible to Bruce while he managed to avoid eyes like he normally did. It wasn't a hard, but his eyes was definitely attracted to the lips that touched against his own, even if only for a moment, like his mind would never allow him to think past that kiss one night ago. Also, as if like clockwork, his blush deepened after been lost by the foul food he had a bit ago.

"Well, I think they will like them. Especially Hawkeye. He'll definitely love his," the doctor said jokingly, but with honest intent. He did believe that they would enjoy their rooms and it is a smart idea to have the entire team there at the Tower to be ready for any sort of attack. It just made him feel out of place. Even if Tony could look past him, he worried about the others and it made him tense up at the thought. _Just more people for you to harm Banner..._, his mind told him.

"I think he will." He laughed a bit and smiled at the other man. Bruce seemed a bit stiff. He thought they were already past him being tense in a normal situation like this. Too bad he couldn't just have JARVIS hack into Bruce's mind. He wanted to know everything about Bruce, but most of all he wanted to know how to get the other man to trust him and be comfortable around him.

"You okay, big guy? Not getting sick from the bite of sandwich you had are you?" he was teasing him obviously, but he was actually concerned. It frustrated Tony that he couldn't just look at the man and know, it would be a skill that would be nice to have when around Bruce.

"No, I'm alright. Just thinking is all...Sorry...," he sighed slightly and finished the rest of his meal. Immediately after, he started to fumble his fingers amongst each other. Nothing really unusual for him. What really bothered him though was the fact was he couldn't stop thinking about the other man. He was fascinating, a man kept alive by an electromagnet. Not only that, but this man trusted him. Trusted what he thought himself as to be a monster. Something no one else had shown him and especially in such a short amount of time: someone to be there for him, a friend.

If Bruce thought of him a friend, then how come he kept thinking of him kissing him or how attractive or handsome he was. It was practically infuriating! His mind and body wanted something he knew he couldn't provide. Looking at the man across from him just amplified the strange thoughts in his head. He noticed every perfectly chiseled part of his body, how strong and warm he was, the smell of alcohol that always emanated from his breath, and the way his eyes had a friendly and caring look, unlike everyone else's.

The doctor trying to keep himself sane started to scratch roughly at the right side of his head, digging into his wild hair. Without there being a real way to distract himself any longer, the doctor started to think that, _Maybe you should just go to bed. It's better than fidgeting about in front of Mr. Stark. _

"I'm sorry. I hope your finger feels better. It didn't look too bad, but I think I should take my leave now," he said while starting to rise from his chair again.

Tony nodded a bit in understanding when the man responded. He watched as the man began scratching his head. It made Tony itch a bit himself. Scratching his beard a bit in thought he looked at the man. His messy brown hair, his glasses that only made him look more intelligent, hence sexier. Tony blushed only lightly as he realized he was no longer just looking at the man's features, but he was admiring them. The Tony Stark was checking out a man, not just any man, Bruce Banner his brother in Science.

_Ohh Tony, Tony, Tony, what are you doing? You cannot do this right now. That man is fragile as all hell and you know all you'll do is break him. He _is _pretty strong though, and he does seem to already be trusting you. Maybe- _His thoughts were cut short by the other man's words.

"Please don't. "Tony said almost instantly. His blush deepened. "I mean, give me a moment to clean up a bit and we can take the elevator together. That is if you're heading to bed I mean." _When was the last time you acted this much like an idiot? When was the last time you tripped over your tongue this much, and actually _thought _about what you say before you say it? _It occurred to him, that he couldn't remember the last time.

The doctor was pretty surprised by the almost immediate response. He turned around slowly, processing what happened. A deeper and deeper blush kept coming to his face that night and it didn't disappoint when he figured out what Tony had asked. He finally spoke up to respond to the other man, "Oh...Yeah...I'm sorry, I'll help too."

He picked up his plate and silverware and moved over to the sink on the other end of the room. Walking around Tony, he mindfully made sure to keep his distance and caused him to stiffen up yet again. In the process, he hadn't been paying attention to the silverware on his plate which clattered and fell to the ground behind Stark. The clank of the spoon hitting the floor brought Banner into attention and he bent down to pick up the lost item.

"S-sorry," he stuttered while fumbling with the spoon.

Tony gave the man a small smile glad the man had agreed to wait. For some reason or another, the man staying was something that made him feel comfortable and jumpy at the same time, relaxed and excited, confident and self-conscious, he had never been this confused. Leading the way to the kitchen he put his dishes in the sink.

When the spoon fell he knelt down pick it up as well, being beat by the other man he just slowly retracted his hand. "There's no reason to be sorry, it's a spoon I promise I won't get the suit and try to attack you for dropping it." He laughed a bit knowing it was a bit of a stupid joke. What had happened to his natural charisma and charm?

"Alright...," he whispered. Tony's face was inches from his own again, waaaay too deep into his own personal bubble. What made it worse was he could see all this detailed observations up close and personal. Stark's own alluring scent mixed in with that of all the alcoholic beverages he had today. How muscular Tony was that was emphasized by the fitted t-shirts he wore. He could see Tony's thoughtful eyes that bore him down, brown and attractive that never seemed to look away. Tony's full lips that had kissed him earlier were enough to send Bruce into the spiral of confusion, now there was this to add to it.

In this whirlwind of bewilderment, Bruce, who was the god of keeping to himself, couldn't help but stare as his fascination with the other man grew. Bruce could tell that his blush was still severe and he was trying to make himself look away, but his body was currently betraying him. His efforts only made him seem flustered and more awkward than before and it was very evident that he was so tense a boulder could hit him and he wouldn't flinch, considering the other guy didn't come out first to smash the thing to pieces.

Tony looked at each curve in the other man's face. He admired the lines that came from constant worry and work. He gazed into Bruce's tortured brown eyes, Tony found them absolutely fascinating. He wondered what those eyes would look like if they smiled with those perfect soft, pink lips that he had kissed just the night before. Bruce smelled sweet, just like the fruit soaps he had probably used this morning in the shower. Tony even noticed the blush on the man's face.

When he realized Bruce wasn't moving Tony gave a small smile. _Do I really make him so uncomfortable he freezes up like this? I thought we were at a point where he trusts me. Probably my fault, I shouldn't have kissed him that was a step too far in my teasing. _Was it just teasing? Was his little joke just that? Or was it something he really wanted to do? Tony gave a small sigh.

"Bruce...I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable or caused you to distrust me when I kissed you. That really wasn't my intention. I just...acted without thinking." He whispered for once without adding a joke or sarcasm anywhere in the statement. Tony wasn't used to making apologies, but he hoped this one would be good enough to get the other man to trust him again.

"N-no...," Bruce whispered sincerely, "T-that was no big deal. Just a joke..."

It was obvious that the small, stuttering man was finding it difficult to say that. What happened the other night was severely confusing the poor doctor to the point of getting another migraine. In order to once again try to distract himself, he played with the spoon in his hand and tried to stand up. However, all the blood in his face made it very uncomfortable to do so that quickly and a dizzy spell ensued, resulting with Bruce landing on top of Stark.

If Banner was embarrassed over a little kiss, this nearly topped the cake. He was nearly paralyzed at the fact of being on top of the man that kept running through his mind. Every smell that Tony gave off filled his lungs, it was intoxicating. Bruce tried to get up, but the way he was on Stark trapped his arms underneath his own body, one even up against Tony's own hot arc reactor. He didn't try to move for fear of harming the other, and for the fact, that even if he was slightly uncomfortable, he felt like he wanted to be there.

Bruce opened his mouth, but no response, no apology, and no sound was able to leave his lips. Giving up, he eventually just let his lips part slightly, giving up on any form of communication at that point.

Tony looked at the man on top of him. He welcomed the weight, the warmth. Not sure if the man was alright to sit up he didn't move. They were so close, last time their faces were this close Tony had taken his chance to "joke" with the other man and kiss him._ Just a joke_ he thought to himself _just joke. Why does it hurt to hear that? He's right isn't he? it was just a joke. _He let this play through his mind a while before he spoke.  
"You okay big guy?" He asked still not moving. "I know I'm good looking, but it'd be a bad thing if my presence made you light headed. We can't have you passing out every time we work together." He joked. He couldn't help it, it helped him to keep his composure in situations like this, where he would have otherwise stumbled over words or felt awkward.  
He gazed at the man's face once again, it was strong yet gentle. The deep brown eyes that looked tortured earlier looked frozen. Those pink lips that were pressed together in thought earlier were now separated ever so slightly. He looked sexy as hell.

Regulating himself was something Banner did very often. Here it seemed like he had to do everything manually and in overtime while it came automatically for everything else, but Tony. His heart rate was skyrocketing, he could feel it and soon his watch would too if he didn't settle down. Bruce's breaths were heavy and laboured, due to anxiety and the fact that he was straining his lungs by having his arm supporting his entire weight.  
"I-I'm sorry...," the small man managed to let out in a raspy voice due to his partially blocked air passages. It was a long moment before he managed to say that, and even longer to add, "I-I'm fine...A-Are you okay?"  
The question hit him after his mind came somewhat together. He _had _just fallen on the man underneath him unexpectedly. The thought of harming someone always bothered him and in doing so while the other guy was at rest, it was nearly too much to bare. His expression turned to something of genuine concern and sadness at the possibility of harming his only friend as himself.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You don't need to be sorry. I promise I won't get the suit and attack you for falling on me," with this Tony gave a breathy laugh unable to give a full one at the moment. Looking up at the nervous man on top of him he blushed a bright red as he felt himself becoming hard. He bit his lip a little realizing his predicament. If he moved to get up the other man would feel his little problem, but if he stayed as is the other man _still_ might be able to feel it. _Fuck why now? Why a man? Why Bruce? _  
Hoping to distract Bruce from some he could move without his noticing he decided to see if he could get him to explain why he fell, assuming it wasn't just him losing balance. "So..care to explain how you managed to fall when you were almost on the ground anyway?" He asked trying to put on one of his cocky smiles.

"Poor traction," the physicist answered immediately as if he was back in college again. It was an automatic response he would do since his primary field was physics, even if he was the pioneer in gamma radiation. But to distract himself with college, this was far more wild than he had ever gotten, even if unintentionally. Hell, this was more action than he was getting in college. More than he could have dreamed of and he hadn't even had his accident then.  
The thought of any potential physics though helped him keep his mind off of the man below. It was even giving him some feeling of control, that he may move himself off the other man, but he felt like he should be there. His conflicting feelings were still driving him mad, but the thought of resting on Stark was appealing.  
Not that he could let Stark know that.  
Banner started to try to move off of the man without harming him. He managed to pull out his arms from under himself and use them to support his upper body, each arm on the other side of Stark's head. Adjusting his legs so he didn't push down too hard on Stark, he straddled him so that his knees touched the ground resting by Tony's well-toned hips.  
Finally, Bruce was above Stark in a way that he wasn't causing himself to hurt the other. In the process however, his own crotch was up against that of Stark's slightly hardened one. A sudden realization of the situation hit him. _Banner...you're riding Stark...and he's got an erection...for you..._  
Once again Banner was frozen on the spot. Did the other man like him in that way? After a minute of just sitting there, Bruce finally managed to awkwardly say, " ...umm...I should go..."

Once again Tony let out a breathy laugh at the man's words, but it was just a cover. For some reason or another he had hoped the man had somehow did it on purpose. It was a stupid thought; Banner didn't touch people without ample reason let alone lay on top of them. The disappointment only deepened as he felt Bruce moving to get off him or so he assumed.  
Stark almost gasped when the man straddled him. His face turned a bright red when the other man froze. _Oh fuck, he noticed. I can't believe this. Bruce Banner, the fucking Bruce Banner has his crotch pressed against mine. The Bruce Banner is riding me. The Bruce Banner has also discovered that he turned me on. I don't even know whether this is good or bad. _  
Tony was so confused as to how he should feel about this. For a moment he thought maybe, just maybe, the man straddling him did this on purpose. Maybe, just maybe, Bruce Banner wanted Tony Stark as much and Tony Stark wanted him at that moment. Those hopeful thoughts were cut short by the other man's words. _Go? Go? Do I want that? No. No I don't. _  
At that moment Tony sat up quickly and kissed the man for a second time. This one less gentle more filled with passion and desire, but it lasted no more than a few seconds. He blushed a bright red at his irrational action. The Tony Stark was actually blushing that deep. His head was in such a spin all he could manage to get out was "I told you to call me Tony."

Everything stopped. His breathing, his ability to move, and it also felt like even his heart had stopped finally. Could this really be happening?

_T-too good...too much...too n-nice..._, Banner's thoughts were scattered about, but lead to the conclusion he _definitely _wanted that. But even if his mind craved for the man like his body did unintentionally, his body was nowhere near ready for this sudden contact and predicament.

Blood was rushing everywhere and his heart was racing now that it had the signal to go. It was all too much. His heart monitor started to beep in long intervals until they came together one after the other. _T-Too much..._

For once, the Doctor had forgotten to breathe. What normally calmed him down fast enough, but here he had been holding it for minutes, staring down at Tony beneath him. How sexy his appearance is, no wonder he was a killer for the ladies. The sensation was catching up to him; his already dizzy head was starting to spin all over again. Finally, darkness came in at the edge of his vision and his eyes finally closed shut. All of his clenched muscles relaxed in unison and once again for that day, he fell on top of Tony Stark. At least this time, well calmed.

The beeping from his watch started to space out until it finally stopped. His lungs were once again able to fill with air. Bruce was fine, just unconscious.

"Bruce? Bruce?" Tony looked at the unconscious man on top of him and listened as the watch stopped its sound. He sighed feeling the man's now steady heart beat against his chest. _Stupid Tony! Stupid! Look what you did! The man is fucking unconscious!...Will he even remember this when he wakes up?...Do I want him to? _

Tony shimmied himself from under the man and picked him up. He slowly carried him to the green guest room he resided in. Stark still had an uncomfortable erection, but all he wanted was to make sure the doctor in his arms was alright. Gently he put Bruce in the bed covering his with the blanket. He stroked his hair gently for a moment forgetting his small (large) issue. _Careful Stark, you broke him once today a second time would probably be an awful idea. _

Hesitantly Stark kissed the other man's forehead before leaving to go to his own room. He slipped out his, probably work stained, clothes and got into a warm shower. After he was sufficiently soaked, he began yanking it like a banshee. Every stroke only felt better as he thought of his brother in science in the room just down the hall. After climaxing the bearded man didn't get to enjoy the afterglow. Thoughts clouded his mind and drove him fucking crazy.

Raising his head up to the water he let the warm droplets engulf him and lull him into relaxation and a sense of comfort. After a thorough washing Tony got out the shower slipping on his boxers and a wife beater. "JARVIS please alert me when Dr. Banner wakes up. Immediately after he wakes up."

"Yes sir, shall I inform him of your whereabouts?"

"No, I'll go to him." Tony Felt if the other man knew where he was, he'd avoid him.


	3. Chapter 3 Pain

**Thank you everyone for the awesome feedback and tips! Fixed up the work, still getting used to the fanfic interface for uploading and everything. Well as a special treat, we're uploading before Thorsday because we had a couple sweet requests for it. Enjoy!**

**We don't own Marvel or the characters, but god do we wish!**

Chapter 3- Pain  
"Y-yes Tony."

Bruce's eyes fluttered open hoping to see Tony's face once again and instead the ceiling of his room took his place. The man sat up in his bed and a giant pain shot through the side of his head. Quick to react, he rubbed his temple and laid back down to think.

_This isn't good, Banner. Tony has the hots for you and, quite frankly, you return the favour for him. You know this can only lead to trouble. You'll hurt the ones you love again..._, his analytical mind chastised him for getting into the indulgences that he wasn't allowed anymore. _You went overboard, Banner. You took too many chances yesterday. You could have hurt someone! Especially Tony, the only friend you have left! Did you not promise to leave before that could happen!_  
Groaning in frustration, Banner knew what he had to do. In the corner of the room, he could see the duffle bag, relatively untouched, that contained most of his clothes upon coming here that was not even unpacked due to his short stay. The scientist rolled out of bed to gather the few things that he had taken out of the bag to throw them onto the bed, along with the bag in the corner.  
"This is why you can't have nice things, Banner," he whispered to himself while beginning to do the little packing there was.

"Sir, Dr. Banner has awakened." JARVIS said in the intercom in Tony's room. Tony shot up. He slowly headed to his closet to get on clothes. "He's packing."

"WHAT?" Stark bolted out his room, clad in boxers and wife beater, to the other man's bedroom, opening the door. He saw exactly what JARVIS had said, Bruce was packing his duffle bag. The metal avenger felt his heart sink. _No. Nonononononono! He could just talk to me, he doesn't have to leave. If he doesn't return my feelings that's all he has to say. How could he just start packing like this? _

Tony took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. He had to keep his cool, if he acted any different or seemed stress it would probably stress Bruce out and push him out the door even faster. "Man at first I thought you fainted because my kiss was so good, but now I see just how awful it was."

His joke was probably in bad taste, but he couldn't help it. It was either flip his shit or play with the other man and keep the atmosphere as lighthearted as possible. He had overstepped his bounds and now the man was leaving. He'd be blessed if the man just talked to him after what he had did, let alone stay, but he had to try. He had to try for the sake of the world, for the sake of the Avengers, for the sake of Bruce's condition, but most of all for the sake of Tony's heart. "Well, big guy, I can't improve if you don't give me some constructive criticism. "

Zwop! The automated sliding door opened behind Bruce. A relatively noiseless sound, yet still caused him to jump for he knew who was there. Things like this had always been easier when there were no goodbyes. Or at least they were for the man zipping up his now packed bag. Slowly he turned around, keeping his eyes to a corner of the room. His hands were folded in front of him, but this time they looked rather forced. Along with that, the doctor had an expression of true regret and sadness on his face that he didn't even try to hide, or if he was the man seemed wounded at the actions he was partaking.

"This is for the best, Tony...I'm sorry...," he whispered, sounding more like he was trying to reassure himself rather than to calm the man who just entered.

Tony was hit with a large amount of confusing emotions; anger, sadness, pain. It took all he had not to just start yelling. _How could I have blown this so soon? How could I have already destroyed this relationship? _Looking at the other man it was obvious this wasn't a joke, this wasn't to be spiteful, he was really leaving.

"The best for who, Bruce?" he asked becoming very serious, his dark brown eyes giving off every emotion he felt. "Not for the Avengers, not for you, sure as hell not for me. I get it you don't return my feelings, but that doesn't mean you have to leave! We're both adults here we can talk to each other, rather than running and hiding like a teenager avoiding his ex."

"It's not like that...," his voice trailed off, too embarrassed to finish. A flustered expression was added to the mix of emotions on his face and he continued, "I-I can't do that, Tony. I'll only hurt you. I will hurt you...I can't tolerate the thought of that..."

Words were tripping off of Banner's tongue. He wasn't used to telling people how he felt, and he couldn't handle harming another loved one. Even if he was trying to convey his feelings, he knew he was doing an inadequate job. Tony deserved more, but Bruce was a poor person to provide him of what he needed, what he wanted, or what should be given to him.

"You don't want to hurt me? What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tony took a deep breath realizing he was getting too worked up. He couldn't attack the man or that'd just push him out the door rather than convince him to stay. "Bruce...can't we just forget that it happened? Can't we just go back to our experiments and conversations about physics and inventions? I promise I won't tease you anymore. I'll control myself."

_Am I begging? Oh God, I think I'm begging. How am I begging? Tony Stark has never begged in his life. _As ashamed as he was, it seemed worth it. It was worth it to keep Bruce here. Here at the Tower, with the Avengers, with Tony. _Oh God what's happening to me?_

Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell that Tony was agitated. His voice hurt. Everything Bruce was doing was just making it worse. _What am I supposed to do...?_

"I'm sorry...I'm so so sorry...I want that too," he smiled lightly of just being able to do all the work he missed out on for years. The prospect didn't last long for he knew he couldn't push his feelings away if he was this close to them.  
"I can't just forget...You're in my mind too much for that...," he said barely audible. Processing that he actually managed to say something meaningful, his face brighten a redder colour and he turned it so that he was facing the window that had been previously darkened.

Tony's heart sunk when the man said they couldn't just go back. He had known they couldn't, but it had been worth a shot. He felt himself becoming more and more hurt, until Bruce's last statement. _I'm in his mind? _I'm _in his mind? 'Too much'? Does that mean...? No. No it couldn't._

Stark blushed slightly. He wasn't going to allow himself to jump to conclusions again. He did that when he kissed the man twice, now look where they were. Yet he felt hope creeping into his heart, too bad the arc reactor couldn't keep that out like it did the shrapnel. "I'm in your mind too much...?"

"Y-yes...Ever since you kissed me that first time...," Bruce was excruciatingly warm in his face now. His body was teasing up all over. Telling what had been driving him crazy for nearly two days now was pretty stressful for the doctor. His emotions, thoughts, and feelings were always bottled up. Once again, Tony was showing off his magical talents that he seemed to have over him.

However, this was not something Bruce did. He wasn't supposed to share his feelings, he was a monster. Monsters don't have feelings. Tony would still have to drill the opposite into him if he was going to change his mind that readily. Picking up his bag, he swung it over his shoulder and let out a sigh.

A million thoughts ran through Tony's head at that time, but what thought stuck out the most was the one processing the other man's movements. How cruel, Bruce was finally letting him know how he felt. Kind of. Bruce was finally opening up only as he swung a bag over shoulder to go into hiding again, probably until the next world crisis.

"You really are a monster you know that? Not because of the other guy, he's not you. You come here and give me some of the best times of my life, and yes I took advantage of that, but when I give you a way for us to just be friends, _begged _you to take it, you reject it. However, the truly cruel and painful part is you half way telling me you care about me with a bag over your shoulder about to leave to God knows where! So you want to go? Go! But don't you dare tell me it's because you don't want to hurt me!" As he said this a single tear crept its way down Tony's face, falling onto his shirt. Tony's automatic next thought was, _I need a drink._

Right to the heart. Each jab ripped through him, leaving an emptiness that he's felt many times before. However, this time it was different. This hurt more than anything that's been thrown at him or the other guy, figuratively and literally. His only friend having to yell at him to show what's wrong really wasn't even enough. If Stark wanted to throw a few punches at him, he'd surely oblige, to the point of him Hulking out that is. He deserved any punishment possible. _I can't blame him. I'm at fault. I really am. _

A pained smile stretched out on his face, every ounce of sadness, hurt, distress, remorse, and others all displayed on it as well. Willingly, he turned around to face Tony, looking at his tortured face with a single stream marking one side of where a tear had just fallen. Hesitantly, he stepped closer watching the other to make sure his movements didn't upset him any further.

"I know...I know...I'm sorry. I truly am. I-I don't know how else to protect you...," he murmured. Tentatively with each sentence, he gradually took another step forward. The monitor on his wrist, every vigilantly, watched over his heart rate. It had already built up from their discussion, but getting closer to Tony, with each step, caused his heart to race faster. By the time he made it over to Stark, his alarm was flaring off its warning, but not fast enough yet to pay too much mind to. Dropping his bag at their feet, he looked deeply into the taller man's eyes. The spite was there, it was obvious, but he still couldn't help himself to looking.

"Thank you...for everything. You've done more than anyone for me, and this doesn't change that. So thank you...thank you...," he said with all the honesty he had ever given, like the kindness Tony showed him. "I just...I just don't know what to do..."

Tony felt his heart beat faster with each step he took closer. He could hear the man's heart monitor, yet he wasn't worried about the other guy coming out. All he cared about at that moment was Bruce Banner, not the Hulk, Bruce Banner. Those pained dark brown eyes drew him in as he scanned them for sincerity. When the man dropped the bag Tony let out a breath he had had no idea he was holding. Slowly, gently Tony cupped the other man's face. "Then let me worry about protecting me. If that's really too hard, then protect me by staying here and working with me to find a cure."  
Tony couldn't remember a time he had spoken so honestly, so sincerely. He couldn't remember the last time he allowed anyone to see him this...vulnerable. Something about Bruce made him go crazy. Something about him made it hard for Tony to work without him being around. Something about him made his heart race. Most of all something about this man made Tony care about him. He desired not just Bruce's body, but his heart. Stark wanted to protect the doctor from the people who ridiculed him, from the other guy, mostly he wanted to protect the other man from himself.

"Bruce, there's no reason to thank me. Even...even if you left right now, I'd do the exact same when you came back when the next world crisis happens. But if you don't know what to do, may I suggest at least staying long enough to get a chance to work in the lab I'm having specially made for you?" Though Tony suggested this, it was a last resort compromise. He didn't want the doctor to leave at all, but keeping him here just a little longer was better than letting him leave right then.

Bruce thought long and hard, furrowing his brow in the process. His promise to himself, or the promise of a new friend, someone that would actually care about him, not just what he could potentially do. Yet, of course there was still that worry he had himself. However, with Tony holding his head, looking up into his eyes, he felt like he belonged. There was still time, if anything, to change his mind, but he hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. He didn't like making promises, especially ones that the other guy took no obligation to follow.

Finally, the man relaxed slightly and breathed. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed the warmth on his cheeks. It really helped to calm him, but still helped to aid in his already slightly high heart rate. The beeping from his wrist started to slow slightly, but still kept up the noise. "A-alright...I'll stay for now. You are going through so much effort for that," Bruce smiled slightly, gratefully and sincerely.

Tony gave a big smile, but felt a bit disheartened that Bruce was staying for the lab, and the work Tony had put into it instead of for Tony himself. _Pick your battles Tony. He's staying that's all that matters, he'll come to you when he's ready...if he's ever ready. _

"Good, I thought I was going to have to have Black Widow track you down just so I could send you pictures," he chuckled a bit not moving his hands. The man's skin felt smooth under his fingers. He let his thumbs gently stroke Bruce's cheeks lightly as he enjoyed the texture he was privied to feel. Tony couldn't help but wonder how the man felt about him, or what he had been trying to say earlier.

Really enjoying Tony's touch, a chill runs down Bruce's spin as the man starts brushing his skin slightly. It feels too good to the deprived doctor, but he manages to rest his hands on top of Tony's to cease the action. His heart rate was already at a dangerous 167 and Tony's little movement caused it to go up by another eight beats per minute.

"I'm sorry, but you really rile me up," he said softly, very embarrassed to speak of the topic. Banner slowly removed his hands off of Tony's and brought them once again around the waist of him, gripping on his back lightly. "I need to calm down. Is this...acceptable...?" he said referring to himself holding the other man.

Tony almost frowned when the man put his hand on top of his to stop his movements, but then gave a cocky smile at the man's words. _I rile him up huh? So he does return my feelings or at least he's as attracted to me as I him. _Stark felt like he had just conquered the whole world. He felt like it was time for shawarma. He did feel a little bad though. In all his acts of affection, he forgot he was unintentionally being a tease. Tony knew how hard it was for him to keep himself calm around the other man without having to worry about changing into a giant green monster that'll attack the city, Bruce had to have been fighting a lot this whole time.

"Take as long as you need to calm down." _So I can rile you up again. _Tony's heart almost leapt from his chest feeling the other man's hands on his waist. This wasn't just Banner wondering where to put his hands at that point; he was actually reciprocating Stark's feelings. "That is most definitely acceptable and appropriate in case you were wondering that too. Speaking of what would be appropriate."

Taking Banner's hand he led the man to the enormous guest bed. He wasn't going to try and have sex with him...yet. He just wanted to feel close to him, feel the warmth and make real the fact he had managed to keep Dr. Banner from running away yet again. Crawling into the bed Tony beckoned the other man to join him. "No strenuous activity that causes the heart rate to go up I promise. "

A frown crossed Bruce's lips and his brow fell downwards in disapproval as Tony climbed into the giant bed. If Tony thought he could get it on with him right then, he was sadly mistaken. His heart rate had just started to go down slightly so that his watch's beeping wasn't too obnoxious at the moment, but it was still there to remind him that Tony's playboy antics would be a giant green 'no' for him.  
When Tony spoke again, Banner lightened slightly. He still needed to calm and he was slightly worried that Tony might change his mind later, but he still liked the idea. Even if sex was off the table, just sleeping in a bed with someone else wouldn't kill him. Not him exactly or necessarily, but for Stark that was a different story. _Cuddling never killed anyone. That's not on the complete no list yet, _Bruce thought to himself.

Turning around, he removed his pants and undid his shirt, folding them both neatly to place them on the table next to the bed, remembering to take out his glasses from the breast pocket of the shirt to lay it out as well. With no real surprise, Banner was slightly embarrassed to strip down in front of the other man, but he had already seen his 'casual attire' at breakfast earlier. His watch helped in reminding him that he was embarrassed by going off faster again. Turning around with a flushed face and a sideways smile, Banner tentatively placed his hand on the bed to lower himself to sit on the edge still unable to completely face Stark just yet.

"S-sorry, this thing can get really annoying sometimes," he said very flustered.

For a moment Tony thought Bruce wasn't going to join him, but then the man had begun taking off his pants. Tony couldn't help but watch the man with hungry eyes. At breakfast he had gotten a small taste of the man out of his usual nice clothing, but right now he not only got to see the end result, he got the show.  
"I don't mind, I like it. It reminds me your heart is still beating, even when I can't be up against you to feel it," he considered just pulling Bruce into his arms, but he felt that may be a bit too much for the good doctor to handle. _You have to let him do this at his own pace. You can't just ravish him like some one night stand. He's more important than that. _Tony was surprised at his own thoughts. Bruce _was _more important than just satisfying himself. He was important enough to just take it slow and let the man become comfortable with his presence first.

"That's a first," Bruce chuckled to himself, "this has been a lot of firsts, some not since a long time ago."  
He let out a sigh and started to watch his breathing again. Slow and steady. The watch started to slow down yet again as he pulled his legs onto the bed and scooted himself closer to Stark. This was still too fast for the big guy. He couldn't handle looking at the other this exposed and he was still trying to get over the fact that Stark really did have deeper feelings for the man. Ones that were too great for just friends. Even the fact that Stark touches him so readily; it still is mind boggling to him. No one touches Bruce Banner without a reason. Especially not out of affection towards the man.

Banner moved down until he was in the center of the bed with the one who called him over. His arms pulled up to his chest, and his legs partially curled. Closing his eyes he whispered, "Tony...Thank you. I'm so sorry," and managed to roll over to face the other man, opening his eyes a tad to see the very ample man. The beeping from Bruce's wrist had subsided, while a faint blush still kept to his face.

Tony sat patiently watching as the man slowly laid down. Tony wondered had he really been the first for a lot this stuff? How long had it been since someone had touched Bruce? Or kissed him? Or just told him the cared about him? Tony looked into the man's eyes as he turned over, those beautiful dark brown eyes. "Sorry? For what?"

Banner was close enough for Tony to just feel the edges of the warmth he gave off. Tony could no longer resist. He extended his arms, wrapped them around the man and slowly pulled him close.

"For hurting you...," he said so softly he could barely hear it himself.

Bruce could feel his heart rate rise again, but this time he was ready. His breathing was regulated, and he could feel the hot breath of Tony on his. He was close, _really _close. Being wrapped around him, it was getting incredibly warm. It was a comforting warmth though, something Bruce welcomed. Wanting to feel the sensation more, he pulled the green satin sheet above the two of them and snuggled into the other man's chest. Through the thin fabric, it was easy to see the arc reactor of Tony's chest. Completely fascinated by the device when Tony had told him of its purpose, getting this close to it was unbearable. His love for science was evident, and the bright electromagnet in his face was just mocking him for not playing with it sooner.

An extended hand hovered over the device and Bruce looked up into Tony's brilliant brown eyes. His other hand moved to rest on Stark's side. Thinking about what he wanted to ask though, he was worried about making the other feel uncomfortable. It really was the only thing keeping him alive and was a part of him. Asking felt like it would be too personal, so Bruce just rested his head back down along with the hand that was so close from touching the marvel in Tony Stark's chest.

Tony smiled and shook his head gently "Don't worry about it. I'm sorry I pushed you out your comfort zone. I'm likely to do it again though. A lot, just have be patient with me, I haven't taken it slow since high school."

Bruce was so close Tony could feel his heartbeat. Closing his eyes he relished in the simple 'beat. beat. beat. beat', it relaxed him like counting sheep. However when the man had his hand hovering just above the arc reactor, Tony felt his own heart begin to beat a bit fast, Bruce putting his head against his chest didn't much help the fact. Looking down Tony realized he had been almost as much of a tease as Bruce. He dangled a shiny new toy in front of him, told him what it did, and then offered nothing more.

"You can ask about the arc reactor," he said simply trying to correct his mistake. Tony had figured if Bruce wanted to know about he would have asked, but of course Tony had once again forgot how much more reserved the man was than him. He wouldn't ask if there was the slightest possibility of insulting anyone.

Bruce lightened up when he was given permission to ask away. He didn't want to make the other uncomfortable, anything like that he always tip toe around. His presence offended many and he didn't want his actions to prove that. It still feels too personal to ask, but his rational mind was getting the better of him.

"I've seen some stories of how you made that in a cav-er. Um..., well what I want to know is where your design came from...," he tried to avoid the details. Being captured against his will for months must have been terrible. He didn't want to bring back any memories of it, but he still wanted to know about what made the man tick. Then another question crept into his mind, this one not for the purpose of science, but for his own curiosity.

"Also...may I touch it...?" he said sheepishly. The hand he had tried to do the action with before rested on the bed now, patiently waiting for an answer.

Tony didn't mind when his time as a captive was mentioned. He had escaped with his own power; his only regret was he couldn't save his new friend that had saved his life. It wasn't his fondest of memories though. Every time he thought about it he craved Burger King. "It's okay you don't have to dance around it. Just never ask me to vacation in Afghanistan."

"Well we had some environmentalists harassing us about needing a cleaner energy source, so we made the arc reactor to power the building. Stark Tower is powered by one. This," He said tapping the metal in his chest "is the same thing just a lot smaller."

Tony was surprised to hear the man's question. Most people never wanted to touch it, and if they did they never asked, they generally just stared at the light through his shirt or gapped at the fact it was set in his chest. "Of course you can touch it, I'd be insulted if you didn't."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Banner said referring to the vacation Stark had mentioned. His run away from the Hulk Busters lead him across the globe on more than one occasion. Afghanistan had been an interesting place, but way too violent. It ended abruptly when a gun was pointed at him cocked and loaded, the other guy didn't take too kindly to that. "Once was enough for me as well."

While talking of the vast potential the arc reaction had it reminded him of the days where he was on the helicarrier working with his science bro. "Yes, you told me while on the vessel. It's still brilliant that this place is running even. Same that Loki decided to ruin it after having just completed construction."

Then the glowing man finally went to the final answer to his questions, smiling slightly. He was still reluctant to touch even after permission. This entire situation was still very apprehensive to the doctor. He wasn't supposed to touch others, be accepted, or anything like this. But here he felt welcomed, safe, and at ease. Reaching out, he finally touched the arc reactor though Stark's tank. Slightly bothered, he gave a small frown and moved the fabric out of the way so he could gawk and analyze the fantastic piece of technology that was inside of Tony's chest. His hand reached out again and touched the warm metallic reactor that was keeping the other man alive.

"Fascinating...," he whispered without thinking, his technological mind distracted from running in overdrive of the possibilities that the small device could perform.

Tony smiled glad they agreed Afghanistan was off the bucket list of places to vacation. He hadn't known Bruce had actually been to Afghanistan, though he probably should have guessed. The place just seemed like it would be a bit too...stressful for the other man to go to. Between the areas of war, the people in poverty that Bruce couldn't treat, and just the outright hostility in a lot of the areas Afghanistan seemed like the last place Bruce would go to avoid Hulking out and hurting others.

Tony watched as the man touched the device within his chest. This was the first time Bruce was touching him in a nonprofessional way, by will and without suggestion. He blushed a bit when Bruce fumbled with his shirt. "Glad you like it. I could take off my shirt for you to get a better look if you like."

This he said entirely from a scientific standpoint. He had switched from being excited from the man's touch and eyes to being excited to talk about how the arc reactor worked. This was something he liked about being around Bruce. The other man could settle all his needs and wants. Bruce was smart, kind, funny, sexy as hell, and most of all he accepted Tony for Tony Stark playboy, billionaire, genius, philanthropist, Iron Man, alcoholic not a Tony Stark that he _could _be if he changed just a little bit this way or that way.

"Yes, please," he said sitting up in the bed to get a better view. It was obvious he was in work mode now and he crawled over to the end table to grab his glasses for a better view. The blurry mess he was previously seeing wasn't going to cut it. Moving the glasses to his face, he moved back next to Tony to examine him. Strictly science time.

"With the electromagnet running in you, your heart is going to run far longer than your own life would last won't it?" he said making an observation of the design. It may be used for keeping out shrapnel from Tony's heart, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't give him any other benefits.

Tony sat up and removed his tank top revealing his bare chest. He was still very aware of the man's eyes, but it was no time to feel any type of desire, they talking science. He considered the man's question. It was true his heart would still work, but does that mean the rest of him would? "It's true my heart would work, but I'd have to have one hell of a doctor to help me keep the rest of my body working, not to mention to keep me from aging too much. No point in having a working heart if I can't live to enjoy it."

It really hadn't occurred to him that there'd be more benefits from the reactor for his body other than keeping the shrapnel out his heart. If his body weren't to work though, he'd want his reactor to be destroyed and all the Iron Man suits. They had already gone down that road, most people couldn't handle the enormous amount of power and responsibility that came with it. Hell, even Tony had a hard time with it.

"True," Bruce was slightly jealous of Tony. He could choose whatever he wanted his life. Banner on the other hand, didn't even know if the Hulk would prevent him from dying. It was already known he couldn't be killed with it. He definitely showed signs of aging, but what will happen to him, he had no idea. Continuing to examine the man, his mind wandered about to what Tony was able to do.

Occasionally, he thought back to the bullet that rammed through his mouth. Hoping then and there it would be the end of everything. After, he woke up half naked in dismay. The one thing he could think of that might of ended the pain had failed. It just proved that this was meant to be. He'd have to live with the other guy, but he was going to make the best of it. Control over the Hulk would be amazing, but Hulk wouldn't give into that so readily. He would still have to ask, even beg for the other guy to do as he wanted, if he was listening that is. Of course, the Hulk would do the same for Banner. _Let me out,_ he'd keep telling. He couldn't and wouldn't dare to listen to those suggestions. If the world needed the, it was to save it. Not destroy it. But deep down though, he still wished for a cure. That it wasn't him with this fate.

Tony watched the man examine his chest. Bruce's expression seemed distant, deep in thought. As much as Tony loved thought, silence during it wasn't his thing. He wanted to get the other man talking again, or at least sputtering in embarrassment. He had to admit he found it quite adorable when the other man stuttered or blushed when he was uncomfortable. "I must admit it gets annoying when people stare at it, when it glows through my T-shirt. I mean ask me about it or leave me the hell alone, right?"

He gave a small chuckle wondering if that's ever how Bruce felt when people knew who he was. Did Bruce want people to ask him about it? Did he even care when other people stared? It had to be annoying having people tiptoe around him all the time trying to keep him from getting angry. It was like they treated him like a child, that would cry if they said a swear.

Stark's statement snapped Bruce back to the bedroom. He brushed his hair back and sat up straight. Much more comfortable than hunching over to stare at a light in a poorly lit room.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. It is a brilliant little device you have there," Banner managed to finally say after his intense though session while pointing at the glowing light from Tony's chest. He then moved to remove his glasses for the night and turned back to face Tony's Stark naked chest, which was still on his mind even if he couldn't see it as properly now.

"Thank you," the doctor gave a small smile. It was something he wanted to talk about for a while, but didn't know how to bring it up to the other man.

"No discomfort at all. Thank you," he said happy for a compliment from the man with a PHD in nuclear physics. Tony debated putting his shirt back, but decided against it. Bruce had been able to handle him shirtless for this long; he might as well leave it off. Maybe the other man wouldn't notice or maybe he'd just be comfortable with it.

"Anytime, you're welcome to see it again if you want, just for now I think it's been a very...busy day. I'm ready for some sleep." Tony laid back down and raised an arm for the other man to get under "How bout you big guy? You sleepy?"

"'Not in the slightest' says the man that just woke up from passing out, but I think I could rest here for a while," he said blushing as he was moved his back into Tony's chest and pleasant arc reactor. Wrapped around Tony's arms from behind he felt safe and comforted. Even if he knew he shouldn't condone his own behaviour right then, he didn't want to leave Tony alone. It was one reason he said he'd say; for Tony.

_You're going to hurt him, Banner...This isn't something you can do anymore...No matter how nice it is...,_ his mind kept telling him over and over. Instead, Bruce just shut his eyes and allowed his body to feel the warmth that was provided to him. He listened for Tony's breaths to become even and rhythmic, to know he was really asleep. It felt peaceful, like he could really provide something for someone. Years had gone by and he could hardly remember what all these emotions and senses were like.

The doctor stayed up for hours, thinking of the wonder that was resting behind him. How fascinating of a person he really was. How he managed to keep the one that leaves to stay. The way the man conveyed himself to him, it was the first time he had seen anything like that. So hurt from him, not the other guy, it physically hurt him to think about it again. Eventually, his own mind was ready to give out along with his body and he fell asleep in the arms of Tony Stark.

Tony woke up without a hangover for once. He opened his eyes to see the back of a beautiful head that belonged to a doctor in nuclear physics. He smiled and kissed the nape of the man's neck and inhaled his still fruity scent. Thinking the man wasn't awake yet he began to whisper. "You really are amazing, you know that? You're so smart and kind. You're shyness only makes you cuter than you already are. And you are one of the sexiest people I have ever seen. I just wish you would see as much as I do. To me the other guy is only a minor inconvenience, no reason to treat you any less than what you truly are, a remarkable man."  
Tony never really gave praise like this, but Bruce was different. Even though he was only telling the man in his sleep it was still a hell of a lot more than what he had done in the past. Not ready to let the feeling of last night to end he whispered up towards the ceiling "JARVIS have Dummy make breakfast and bring it up here."  
"Yes sir."

Banner wasn't one to get a decent amount of sleep if any. Even when he did, he could be woken by most sounds or touches. Nothing out of the usual for him, and he dealt with it easily enough. When Bruce felt the soft and warm lips of Tony Stark that morning, a wave of chills ran up his spine, causing his shoulders to arch back. The words the followed caused Bruce to blush and it felt like his entire body had risen in temperature by several degrees. He was very embarrassed, but more astounded that someone would ever say anything like that to him. More bewildering than that someone being none other than Tony Stark, he who never gave a compliment, he who was always sarcastic, he who was always thought to only think of himself.  
He shook his head and pretended to still be asleep. Shifting back a smidge more, he could feel the naked torso of Stark cooling his overheating body. It felt amazingly nice, and it sent several more pleasurable sensations though the doctor.

Tony smiled at the man's movements. He felt warm and it was relaxing. It made Tony feel like he was special that the man actually curled into him even in his sleep. He kissed the top of the man's head, just wanting to feel him more. Dummy brought the tray of food up and set it on the night stand. Amazingly it looked like he hadn't dropped or spilled anything on the way to the room. "Hey, big guy. You feeling hungry?"  
His voice was still just a whisper for he didn't in all honesty want to wake the man in his arms, but the food was getting cold and they had work to do. Today would be the first day of construction of the other Avengers' bedrooms. Though he was trying to wake the doctor he still held him tight, it just felt so damn nice. "I had Dummy bring us some breakfast. It smells like it might only be a little burnt."

"Yummy," Dr. Banner groaned slightly and pulled an arm free to rub his eyes before opening them. Turning around so that his back was on the bed, Tony's arm still underneath him supporting his neck, he looked up at the ceiling smiling slightly. A twist of the neck and he was face to face with the playboy. A small smirk crossed his face. Somehow, last night, he had gotten _the_Tony Stark into bed. Not only that, but Stark didn't get any out of it. Well, he didn't really get him into bed per say, a series of events led to that, but the doctor was impressed with himself none the less. So much so that a light chuckle developed and he started to brush his hair with his hand in the process.

"And what are you chuckling at Dr. Banner?" He asked raising an eyebrow. He had purposefully used such a professional way to address him to juxtapose the situation they were in. He was surprised to see the other man smile at him when he was this close, let alone laugh. Frankly he was surprised at the lack of blush the other man had, also the sarcasm. It seemed what happened last night had been exactly what Bruce had needed to feel comfortable enough around Tony to enjoy life. He really didn't want to get out of bed now that he had time alone with a Bruce that trusted him enough to open up.

"I was just reviewing the accomplishment I achieved last night: got Tony Stark in bed, AND I then proceeded to not have sex. Think we made a breakthrough. I may be straightening out the menace to all women in society," Banner snickered while starting to sit up.  
His head turned to Dummy who had brought some slightly burnt toast, eggs, and, for some ungodly reason, smoking orange juice. Of course, there was a nice glass of scotch waiting for Tony on the edge of the tray and unfortunately it seemed much better than the orange juice currently. Bruce made his way out of bed to grab a plate for him and Tony. Before doing so he grabbed his dress shirt from the previous day to throw it on, leaving it unbuttoned. He balanced both plates on one arm, and held the scotch in the other hand. Swiftly making his way around the bed, he gave Tony his meal and his drink of choice. Bruce took his spot on the edge of the bed, the side closer to Tony, and began to eat the semi-decent meal.

"Really Bruce? Really? That's just not nice. I'm even more of a menace now that they can't have me." He said watching the undressed men move. Who knew the other man could be so damn snarky? Looking at the orange juice, he was grateful Dummy managed to get his drink order right. He was quite impressed by the man's ability to carry all that. He took his food and drink happily. "Thank you."  
He sipped at his scotch in between bites of the food he was used to. "You sure you want to drink that orange juice? You can have the scotch. If you do maybe I can get some sex from you and reclaim my title," Tony teased knowing he was being a smartass, but the Doctor deserved it after his blow to Tony's ego. It was totally uncalled for, but so true. When was the last time he had had someone in his bed without trying to have sex with them? When was the last time someone was in his mind this much? It was then he realized, never. He never did this. He never stayed in bed to have breakfast with his guest, nor did he let them tease him about not living up to his name. Bruce really was special. Tony gave a warm smile, he turned his head and kissed the man's temple. "I forgot to say good morning."

"Good morning to you too, sunshine. I don't think I'd touch that orange juice with a ten foot pole. I'll fend for myself if needs be. The scotch didn't sit well last time and the latter is off the table," Bruce shutting down that area as soon as possible. That was the disaster zone that he didn't want to tread right now when he was having the best morning of his life. It was one time where he didn't feel out of place.

Banner dug into food. It was edible at least, and wasn't near as bad as the sandwich Tony had given his last night. Trying to keep up the light mood this morning, in between a bite of egg he placed on his toast, he asked, "No headache this morning?"

_Damn I thought for sure that'd get him. _It wasn't that Tony wanted Bruce to not trust, or feel uncomfortable around him, he was just testing his limits while having a bit of fun with it. It surprised him to be called sunshine, Bruce didn't seem to be much of the pet name type, considering it took Tony almost three days to finally convince him to stop calling him ' .' He smiled at the man's question. "No, no headache. I needed to have my wits about myself last night for some reason so I only drank half a bottle of wine last night."

He was obviously teasing. Though he had had the chance, Tony amazingly didn't drink himself to sleep last night. It felt better to sleep with Bruce in his arms than to have enough glasses of scotch to knock out an elephant. "Well I can always try for one tomorrow morning."

"I'm sure you'll be fun. Don't suppose I've seen you actually drunk," Bruce thought about the predicament of being caught off guard by a drunk Stark wanting him at three in the morning. Not on his top ten list of things to do that day, but that was because that was on the list of things he can't do. He still couldn't help but think that Stark _was_ damn sexy. There was a reason he was called a playboy, and he had no doubt in his mind that he lived up to that title.

Trying to take his mind off the sexy wonder sitting in his bed, he finished up his meal and gave the dish to Dummy. He walked over to the bathroom which was in the center of the room opposite to the bed. Along the way, the physicist played with his hands to give them something to do. Announcing his intentions, Bruce said, "I'm going to take a shower now. We can start the remodeling after I'm done. Or you can go down and start without me. Your choice."

And with that the smaller man walked into the bathroom, closed the door, and turned on shower which filled with the sweet scent of products. He stripped down, placing his nice shirt and boxers on a towel rack nearby, and walked into the giant shower to freshen up.

"Awww not gonna ask me to join you?" He asked in mock disappointment. He left the room heading to his own. Another shower sounded nice, especially after last night. Repeating his previous shower actions, he got out drying his hair. He quickly got dressed and headed to the upper levels to begin work. "JARVIS please let know I'm up here working when he gets out the shower."

"Yes sir." Tony got the suit on and began doing the physical remodeling. He wanted this to be done as soon as possible so he and Bruce could begin their research.

Bruce shook his head to Tony's question once he heard it in the shower. He's one for waking up half naked on random occasions, but he wasn't ready for that level of exposure yet. Honestly, he may want Tony as much as he wants him, but Bruce knows he can't handle that. Hulking out during that sort of intimacy, wouldn't be worth the pain the other guy would bring. That was shown with Betty when he had to stop before things got too far.  
Taking a quick shower, he chose two new random products and a bar of soap and smelled as scented as the day before. He got out, dried off except his hair remained damp even after a good rub with the towel, and moved into the bedroom. His duffle bag had remained where he dropped it off the night before and it brought a pained sensation back to the doctor. _What are you doing, Banner? This can't work,_ his mind told him perfectly aware of the situation he was in.

A frown creased his lips and he began to lightly tap his left hand with a balled up fist from his right. He took a deep breath and opened the bag to find a forest green dress shirt, khaki pants, and a relatively soft pair of purple boxers. Rushing to get the items on and to prevent his mind from dwelling on the issue he knew was there, he got out of his room fully clothed and ready to work.

" is on the top floor and has already commenced the physical remodeling of that floor," the omnipresent voice stated to inform the doctor like Tony had asked for.

"Thank you, JARVIS," Bruce said a little jolted from the sudden announcement. Just another thing he wasn't use to having: a computerized butler. He made his way to the elevator and stepped inside after the swoosh of the door opening. JARVIS then took the gamma scientist up to the floor he had previously mentioned without need of command. Soon Bruce was at the location to see Iron Man flying about.

Tony was moving fast welding things into place, getting pipes and wires set up. He wanted this all ready for the other Avengers and he wanted the lab down as soon as possible. "Sir, Dr. Banner will be here in 5 seconds."

Tony continued working even when he heard the elevator ding. After he finished welding the pipe he was on he turned to the scientist and raised the mask on the suit. He loved seeing Banner like this: right after a shower with his hair wet and his shirt sticking to him ever so slightly from the small amount of moisture. It was very alluring. "So what fruit do you smell like today?"

He landed and walked over to the man giving him a pat on the back. "I thought maybe you could help me with getting the electrical system set up since it's hard to do in the suit, but almost everything else requires it."

"No idea, never really a priority of mine to bring my glasses into the shower with me," the doctor stated. There were too many scents coming off of him that he didn't even want to start guessing at all the different combinations. It might be a nice probability problem for later, but now it was time to buckle down and get into his work zone. Which is never a hard feat for him, for it only takes a few seconds and you could lose him to his work for days if you didn't snap him out of it.

"Of course," Bruce nodded about the electrical problem. Strikingly enough, it brought an ease to Banner that Stark was in his Iron Man suit, allowing him to not have to be too tense, even after last night. Maybe it was because he didn't have to get distracted by his charming face, or for the fact he didn't really have to avoid to blank lights that he had for eyes at the time. Either way, it seemed less strenuous to work with. Then everything changed once the mask came off and the unsettling desire for the other man arose.

"So," he started while turning around to see the mess of the top floor once again. Also to distract himself from the charming face that was so very close to him the night before, but not so much to detract his attention from the job at hand, "where shall I start? Is the main electrical panel for this floor somewhere? We didn't get into much of the wiring yesterday."

"There should be one on the south wall, it should still be intact. " He let the mask down again to begin working on the welding more. If they both worked on this floor for a couple hours they'd be ready to move beds and stuff like that in to rooms. He was currently working on the walls of Hawkeye's room. It impressed him at how fast Banner got into work mode, he needed no prompting and he didn't get distracted easily.  
Tony found himself stopping every so often to look at Bruce. He had noticed before that the man's face at work was a very sexy one, but it was more than just that. Tony could see every quirk, every pause in processing his next step, his steady hands as he worked, and most of all his passionate dark brown eyes that seemed to almost glow in excitement as he played with each wire. Of course it would be Dr. Banner who was the only one in the world who would have the same expression as Tony when working. After a while of working Tony had the walls frames up.

"Hey Big guy, Want to take a break? The next part is putting up drywall and insulation and if I don't take a break now I won't until I finish that portion," Tony wanted a chance to enjoy a nice snack with Bruce, get a chance to geek about the progress they'd made. He also wanted to talk to him about his bedroom preferences. Preferences like if he wanted his own or if he wanted to share Tony's. Tony smiled at the thought, knowing the man wouldn't want to share, but it was worth it to see the blush that would almost definitely spread across Bruce's face.

Bruce peeked up from the circuit breaker he was toying with after the relative silence of his task had been interrupted. A second later the question processed and he replied, "Oh sure, I guess I could use a cup of tea." Normally, breaks were far and few in between for the doctor. Skipping meals was a custom practically, but he felt like he needed to oblige the other man who had been doing all the heavy lifting around.  
Setting his equipment to the ground and rose from his slightly uncomfortable sitting position, he made his way over to the floating man of iron. Well, titanium-gold-alloy man would be more exact for Bruce's taste, but for lack of a better term there was a reason why the name didn't catch on.  
"Sorry I can't help out with more of the heavy lifting. I'm more likely to add to the mess than diminish it," he said jokingly of the other guy. Bruce was always in a better mood when working, so even the other guy could become more of a light hearted joke then.

Tony smiled grateful for some one on one time with the other man to hang out, rather than just working. Don't get him wrong, he loved working on this stuff with Bruce. Just sometimes it was nice to relax with the other man and just enjoy each other's company while they talked about work instead. He laughed a bit as he thought to himself, _Man I really need to get a conversation going with about something that isn't related to science in any shape or form._  
"Great, just let me get the suit off and we can head to the lounge on the same floor as our bedrooms for some beverages. Meet you there," with that he flew off to a platform in the house for JARVIS to remove all his gear. Once properly stripped of all the metal he made his way down to the lounge. "JARVIS please start heating up water for 's tea. Also please chill my rum, I'm feeling a bit tropical today."  
"Yes sir, shall I also chill the Coke?"  
"Sure, sounds like a good idea." Once he reached the lounge he immediately went to pouring himself a rum and coke. "Hey big guy, what kind of tea do you prefer? I haven't bought a large assortment yet, but I'll get right on that."

Waiting for Tony to arrive, Bruce was fiddling around on the couch with his hands. His head was on the back of the seat, his legs spread for comfort. Sleeping with Tony may have been the best sleep Bruce had gotten in years, but that didn't make up for the fact he only got a few hours of sleep at a time. Most of the night he had just laid in bed, and surprisingly enough had allowed for the warmth of Tony and his arc reactor to radiate against his back. Very comforting, but he was still awake thinking of the man that was next to him. A headache had come back to the good doctor while tampering with the system's high tech wiring. Stark was indeed the only name in his clean energy and the wiring had been adjusted for the new source. Bruce appreciated having his turn at looking at the new tech, but the headache came with it was the price to pay.  
He started to comb through his hair while resting his eyes. The sound of Tony making his way up the elevator directed his attention to the anomaly that was the genius behind the enigma of science that ran through the building. To the question asked of him while Tony had just entered the area where Bruce was seated he responded, "Anything without caffeine."  
"Sounds like you're going to be having fun with your Cuba Libre," Bruce commented while getting up from the couch in his far too relaxed manner. Not wanting to worry Tony, he tried to keep his developing migraine under wraps.

Tony smiled making the man some decaffeinated lipton. He watched the man walking, it seemed like Bruce had drank a Cuba Libre of his own. Walking over to the man and handed him the cup full of hot liquid. "You sure you want decaffeinated? You seem like you enjoyed a Cuba Libre of your own."  
Stark sipped at his drink letting the flavor of the bitter rum and coke mix in his mouth. He was a bit concerned about the scientist. Bruce always seemed to go between calm and composed to extremely awkward, this was the first time he'd seen him act as if he was high on weed. Could weed even affect the man? Wouldn't the other guy come out if Banner wasn't constantly watching him, and suppressing him? He gestured to the couch, "Shall we take a load off? I mean it is a break."

"Yes, I'm sure. Caffeine causes the heart rate to go up a notch. Not the greatest thing for me. And you've already seen me with just a taste of scotch," Bruce stated, his scientific knowledge about the subject showing. Taking the cup of tea from Tony, he blew on it lightly and took a sip. It was enough to calm him down a little and to ease his mind off the dull ache that was previously growing.  
"And the break sounds lovely," he said settling back into the chair, allowing for his legs to hang off the seat. The tea warming his hands as he took another sip, he granted himself to savour the warm liquid in the back of his throat, the sensation taking the edge off of the pain in the back of his head.

Tony chuckled as he sat next to the man. He looked at Bruce as he sipped his drink, it was nice to just sit and relax. Grabbing his universal remote a holographic screen came up for them to watch T.V. He hadn't seen today's news and frankly he wondered if the Avengers were still being discussed, and if people had decided whether or not they were friend or foe. Listening to the report it seemed like the same old stuff from the days before; money, how they saved people, money, how grateful people were, and of course money. It was despicable.

At one point in the news report they showed many pictures of the Avengers' fight with the aliens. One particular one that caught Tony's eye was the one of the Hulk catching him as he fell out the sky. He had never seen the footage for that, just heard about from the others. Seeing it really made it sink in much more just how grateful he should be to the scientist, and to the Hulk. Tony put an arm around the man for a hug, and said, "Thanks again for that."

After his thank you, he didn't remove his arm. He let it rest gently on Bruce's shoulders curving just a bit to keep the man close. It wasn't a tight grip, had Bruce wanted he could move, but it was enough to be obvious he didn't just forget to move his arm nor was he stretching. Tony was too smooth to do the cliché stretch and yawn routine.

"Y-you're welcome...," Bruce said not really believing what his eyes were seeing, with a blush blooming on his face. He really did save his friend there. Well, the other guy to be correct. Not only him, but the whole world too. Along with the rest of the Avengers. There were dozens of clips from appreciating world citizens, one after another.

The arm resting on his shoulder felt very welcomed. He didn't push it away, rather he embraced it. It was a reminder of what he did accomplish even if he wasn't himself. The feeling of Tony around him also made him completely forget of the migraine he was getting. Bruce finished his tea and moved in closer to Tony. He felt safe, and reassured.  
"Maybe...Maybe I am getting better at the...the other guy thing...," Bruce managed to stumble upon the words. Of course, there was always the doubt in his mind that made anything relating to the other guy never a finite fact. One thing he knew that could always be counted on the Hulk was to smash.

"I'd say. By my observations you're getting a lot better at 'the other guy thing' heck according to everyone the only one of us that you punched was Thor and well to be honest, I know it's just because payback is a bitch," with that Tony gave a hearty laugh. It made him genuinely happy whenever he managed to make the other see how much control he truly had. Bruce really didn't receive enough credit, and out of everyone he was the only one with abilities that held him back. Everyone else after a major battle could go do whatever they wanted and get thanked in the process, but Bruce, Bruce had to go home and do light celebration while people sat and debated whether they wanted the man that could turn into a giant green rage monster around. What was most impressive was even after so many people put him down, exiled him, tried to kill him, he always came back to save the day.

"Hey Bruce, where was the weirdest place you woke up naked after Hulking out?" Tony asked curious as well as in the mood to tease the man a bit. He sucked down his Cuba Libre then looked at the other man to wait for an answer.

The doctor nodded about the Thor comment. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened on the helicarrier, but apparently he must have annoyed the other guy enough to warrant the action. Getting better control was wonderful. Still, he didn't mean to bring any harm to the Asgardian or any of the others that were on the aircraft. While Tony was letting out his own Asgardian roar, the doctor finished up his tea and set the cup to rest on the coffee table resting before them.

When Tony asked of his personal naked experiences, Bruce's face turned bright again at the thought of a particular rude wakeup call he had. He scratched his wet hair a tad, feeling a bit shameless for what happened, not that it was really his fault. Just the other guy placing him in that situation was. Waking up after a Hulk out always was exhausting, and sometimes he still didn't feel in his right mind. Most of the time it was running away from the Hulk Busters, so trying to be out of a crowded area and hidden was a good thing. Bringing attention to oneself, not so much.

"Well, umm...There was one time I was in Rio...," the thought of where he ended up made him blush even more with tone becoming quite stuttered and incredibly awkward from embarrassment. "Umm...It was night and the stress must have gotten to me or something...But when I woke up, I had found my way into...umm...a brothel," he coughed at the mention of the term. "There was a great big hole in the wall and, well, I caused a comeuppance in there of course and umm.., well they thought I was a mythic creature or something... so I was, err...escorted off the premises." Which was Dr. Banner's nice way of saying, "due to the series of unfortunate events later, I managed to get kicked out of a whore house, naked, in the middle of the night."

"N-not that I was going to stay! I-I needed to get out of there as soon as possible! I was out of Rio in the blink of an eye after that!" he defended himself after his story still a little distraught, managing to face the other man in an innocent and flustered manner. Very concerned of what Tony would have made of his ordeal. General Ross would have been on his ass in a heartbeat if he didn't get out of there soon enough and he didn't want his intentions, or lack thereof, to be manipulated.

"Wow, a brothel in Rio? That's some pretty fun shit. I guess even the other guy likes to party some huh?" Tony smiled as he had watched the man blush and stammer over his words. It was just so adorable. And waking up in a brothel? Man that was hot, even though it wasn't Bruce's choice it still made Tony wonder what kind of things he was into. However, Tony was not going to ask that kind of thing tonight. Bruce had already given him a lot of information that he was sure the other man hadn't wanted to share with anyone, ever. After a moment's pause Tony decided it was only fair Bruce got to ask him a question. Not that the answer would be equal, Tony was famous almost nothing about him was secret anymore, but it was still fair to let Bruce ask.

"Thanks for telling me, big guy. In return, I'll answer one of your questions," Tony wondered what question the man would ask. Probably something about the arc reactor, or the suit, or maybe even JARVIS. Stark thought it would almost definitely be a question about one of his inventions or something science or Avenger related.

Bruce sat thinking of all the questions to ask. Some of the obvious ones were: Where did JARVIS come for? What was your original suit idea? Did he ever go to work? Little questions like that. He wanted to make it more...personal though. Possibly as payback for him blathering his little secret, or just for the fact of wanting to get to know the other man better. Both ideas were clashing in his mind, only disturbed slightly by his dying headache.

It was a bit before the doctor could piece together the words he wanted to ask. The thought had been dancing in his mind the previous night and now was a chance to answer it. He fidgeted nervously by the very attractive man next to him. Just what was Tony planning for him, it kept encircling his mind.

Finally the small man managed to ask like a nervous wreck, "Umm...What are you...Erm. Just what kind of feelings do you have for me...?" He needed to know. It was evident through their spiel in his bedroom that he had an attachment as did the doctor. But he needed to clarify and figure out the rational of being with someone that could break his as easy as a toothpick would be.

Tony coughed awkwardly a bit. He was very grateful he had finished his drink, but there was no doubt in his mind he would have spat it out and there was no good excuse for wasting good alcohol. As surprised as he was that Bruce had asked him that it was a logical question. Most people would play with fire, or in this case a large, green, rage monster that could crush you half way through sex. Tony took a breath to think about his words, he was used to public speaking, even about his bedroom habits, but he wasn't used to speaking to someone he truly cared about on why he cared about them.

"Well, first of all you're extremely sexy. I never thought I'd say that about any man but me, but you are very very sexy. It's almost too much sometimes. Next, you're intelligent. I have never had more fun then when I'm talking with you. You understand every word I say be it from ancient history to quantum physics. Which means you're not boring in the slightest." _Which means I'll never get tired of you_, he thought to himself before he continued. "You're so nice sometimes it hurts. You do so much for the world and they still outcast you, but when they need you, you come back to help them every single time. Though it makes you seem like a bit of a pushover, I can respect a man who does the right thing, because it is the right thing to do. But the most important thing is, you understand and accept me for who I already am rather than what I could become. In short I guess the kind of feels I have for you would best be described as strong."

Tony had never given that kind of personal answer to anyone, and he prayed he wasn't blushing as bright as Banner at that moment. The only way he could have gone any farther would be to say 'I love you more than anything in the world and I want to fuck you into the mattress,' but that was too much well the first part was, he had no problem telling anybody he wanted the second part. It then hit him, when was the last time he wanted anyone but Bruce? He hadn't even called Pepper to claim his reward for a job well done. This could be bad.

Bruce was flabbergasted. Never in his life had someone poured out so much to him, unafraid and truly accepting of him. Least of all called him sexy which totally through him for a loop. After a long while to sink in the information overload, he was able to collect himself slightly. He didn't dare face Stark for he was immensely out of his comfort zone, and looking at the man after that story would have possibly passed him out again.

"For the man who could get any women in the world," Bruce started, "you decide to go for the geeky science kid. With anger management issues to boot. Are you sure you don't have anyone you'd rather be with...?" His tone was serious, and hurt a hush to it. Deep down he knew he wanted to be with Tony, but of course he couldn't...pleasure him the way a women or, hell, even another man could.

Tony stopped to really think to himself. Was there anyone else he'd rather be with? He went through every one of his partners mentally and stopped on Pepper. It was then that he realized the face that used to increase his heart rate in a millisecond, no longer made him feel a thing. He blushed and shook his head. "The geeky science kid, with anger management issues is apparently my type. There's no one I want more."

He had almost whispered the last sentence as he got up. He went to the bar and poured himself another Cuba Libre and sat back down. "Since I answered a second question, now you have to. Tell me your feelings about me."

His words were said with his usual confidence, when inside his heart beat so fast. He was afraid of the answer he was going to receive.

Bruce could feel his heart in his chest practically stop at the question. It felt like hours before it was able to get up to speed and perform its usual duties. He didn't dare face Stark, if he wasn't completely red before, he was now. And watching the snarky expressions of the genius next to him wouldn't help settle. His body felt rigid and he could barely move his hands to set them on his lap. The presence of the man being in the same room as him was terrifying at that moment. Yet somehow, he was managing to form words from his mouth.

"Umm...Well...," he stuttered. If the start of the sentence didn't give warning to the wave of a newfound way to express himself, then he had only looked and sounded about nineteen hundred times more awkward than he normally did. The body heat emanating off of Stark was not cooling down the giant fluctuation of increased body temperature i that was happening to Banner.

"Well...I do find you to be relatively stimulating to the mind. Wait! I mean! I mean you're really smart and we can think at the same level and it's really wonderful to have someone like that. And that's what I meant by stimulating...But umm... You...ermm... You're a very attractive man and I really enjoy your company and umm. Well, you're really my only friend and I really appreciate you for that..." Banner had fluctuated between incredibly awkward, to rushed, to a stable tone, and finally a soft quiet ending.

When he was done, even softer than before, he whispered, "But...I-I think of you more than that..." Bruce quietly managed to fold his hands in on themselves, staring intently at anything and everything other than Tony Stark at that moment. He may have felt his most vulnerable as the other guy, but right here he was more exposed and open than he had ever been.

Tony almost choked when he heard the word 'friend'. It was like a punch in the gut. How could he only be a friend after how far they'd come. It just didn't seem right. That word kept playing in his head as he took a gulp of his Cuba Libre to push down the feelings. He actually did spit out the liquid when he heard the man's next statement. Coughing a bit he apologized.

"Sorry, Sorry. Please elaborate on what you mean by more." The suspense killed him. He wanted nothing more than the man to say that he also had deep feelings for him, or at least he felt he was more than a friend. That'd just be embarrassing, Tony had told him so much just to be friend zoned. Worst of all, if Bruce didn't return his feelings Tony couldn't go back to Pepper, it just wouldn't be the same. Tony wondered could he go to _anyone _if Bruce were to reject every feeling he had that was more than friendship.

"By more...," Bruce paused. This was where he real feelings were lingering. What he wanted of Tony from his mind and even his body. Not that he could get the later.

"B-by more umm, I mean...I-I want to be more than... friends...," the last word escaped from his mouth caused him to somehow manage to clench up his body more than it was already. The man was incredibly tense. His intentions out of Tony to know, even if he was horrible and unsure how to word them properly enough for him.

Tony let out a small breath, so grateful for the man's words. He seriously considered kissing the man then and there, but that was mostly definitely a bad idea considering how visibly tense he was. It was like watching a spring push down farther and farther until eventually it pops and flies somewhere across the room. Frankly having Banner fly away from him in that instant was not what Tony wanted in any shape or form.

"I'm really glad to hear that, because I have no intentions on being 'just friends' with you." It made Tony smile to see the small man fidget just because he was trying to express himself. At that moment all he wanted was to touch him, be it a gentle brush, his arm around the other man or a kiss, he wanted to feel the man's warmth again.

Bruce was breathing heavier than normal. It was still being regulated religiously by the doctor, but for the first time he was letting out what he felt and he didn't know what to expect. His body had contracted in defense against anything that could have possibly gone his way. A tank could have crashed through the building and Bruce wouldn't have been harmed, even without the help from the other guy.

With most of his emotions of his chest and no bodily harm done to him, his composure finally was allowed to regain control. Maybe it was alright for him to express himself. It obviously didn't hurt, unless the muscle pain was considered, which there was only a minor case of. All the tension that had built up in the small man brought back his mild headache. It was enough of a dull pain to bother him so he rubbed his temple and brushed back his wet hair.

After the entirety of trying to purposely not look at the one who he allowed to see a glimpse of his feelings, he turned to look at his stubbled face. Stark's handsome dark brown eyes boring him down in a way that made the doctor feel wanted, which was pleasing. He looked back to the soft chest he had against the night before. It seemed very welcoming and comforting and a perfect place to rest his head until the pain had passed.  
"I understand," Banner said still embarrassed. His face still entirely red, but the physicist was willing to show his face to Tony now. The doctor may allow himself to want occasionally, but he was still too polite to just take what he desired. So instead, the small man asked, "Umm...Is it okay if I just rest on you for a while...?"

Tony gave a small smile as the man relaxed. For a moment he thought for a moment that Bruce was going to Hulk out. He watched as the man rubbed his temples with an obvious headache. This whole thing was probably an emotion overload for the other man. He heard the other man's request and gave a gentle smile. "Headache?"

Stark kissed the man's temple and nodded. He raised his arm to allow him the other man to get more comfortable. "Of course you can, it wouldn't be a good break if we didn't properly relax."

Responding with a nod, Bruce moved closer to Tony and rested his head on the right of the arc reactor. Maneuvering himself so that his legs rested on the leather couch with him, the back of Bruce's head was against the soft warm chest of Tony Stark. This way, even though his mind tells him not to, he could look up at the sexy face of the man above him. Watching his pink lips sip at his drink slowly. It was a nice action for Banner to observe and it made him blush for wanting to partake in locking his own lips again to the other man.

Getting to lay down had helped aid his head. Not being so wound up helped considerably as well. Finally he closed his eyes, but there was still plenty of light making its way through. A simple problem that he would normally just fix by placing his arm above his eyes, but today, he wanted Tony to help. Another small touch from the other man that he thought would be easily obliged.

"Could you...place your hand on my eyes? Please?" Bruce asked quietly after looking up at Tony for a second to see him taking another gulp of his Cuba Libre.

Tony relaxed a lot with the man on his chest. He had one arm around the man and his other hand held his Cuba Libre. It was comforting to feel the warmth of the other man. Touching the man like this was exactly what he wanted. He sipped at his drink as listened to the breathing of the man laying on him. He almost choked when he heard the man's request.

"Of course. Light getting to ya?" He placed his Cuba Libre on the table in front of them and placed it gently over the man's eyes. He really didn't know if he had ever been so happy when he was around the man. Never had Bruce actually requested something intimate of him, and now he did it twice within a few minutes.

"You know the next time you want to lay on me, you don't have to ask, you can just do it. Its not like I dislike it. In fact I quite enjoy it, and I hope you do it more," when he said this he really meant it. It seemed like there was nothing that could get Stark to unwind more, not even a stiff glass of vodka.

"Yes and thank you," Bruce said, his blush easily felt by that man's hand on his face. That and the arm around his own chest made him feel safe and secure. Well protected and not exposed like he feels most of the time, making him feel relaxed and that was evident by how much he had calmed down in Tony's arms.

The doctor was slumped into Tony and the couch. His hands rested on his own torso, loosely able to keep a hold with one another. The absence of light made it a cinch to rest now. Allowing for his mind to travel, drifting towards subject of Tony again. He didn't try to stop it, the thought of the other man and being with him was making his headache disappear. Bruce's breathing was regulated, inhaling and exhaling through a small window which he left open from his mouth. Occasionally he would lick his lips as the air passed through. Unaware of his surroundings, he fell asleep once again on Tony.

Tony smiled hearing the man's breath even out to a peaceful rhythm of inhaling and exhaling Tony knew the other man was asleep. Originally this break was supposed to be half an hour tops, but Tony knew how little Bruce actually slept so he decided not wake him. It flattered him that Bruce seemed to sleep his best when in Tony's arms. He also began to feel relaxed. Not one time while the man was in his arms did he begin to think about his work.

"JARVIS, please dim the lights," he whispered. The robotic butler did as he was asked and soon Tony also fell asleep on the couch though it wasn't very comfortable considering he had nowhere to put his head but let it fall forward, but it was one of the best sleeps he had ever had.

"Tony, I'm back!" came a high pitched and partially exhausted voice from the elevator door that had just beeped marking that it had just opened.


	4. Chapter 4 Firsts

**Sorry this wasn't posted on Thorsday guys, fanfiction didn't want to upload it for some reason and made me wait a couple of days before I could post anything :( We're up to 11 chapters and this has become my life currently. I'm having a lot of fun and I'm glad everyone's enjoying themselves! Thanks for all the positive feedback! ****Now here's the continuation!**

**Oh and if you're squeamish with reading sexy scenes, it has been marked off my lines so you can skip the chunk.**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, BUT A GIRL CAN DREAM.**

Chapter 4 - Firsts  
Pepper Potts had just had a short flight on one of Stark Industries' private planes from Washington D.C. to New York. She had called her boss/boyfriend that morning, but had failed to get a response from the man. So it wouldn't have been without fair warning that the personal assistant had returned to Stark Tower.

She had made her way up the elevator to the floor where Tony's bedroom would be on. It was not an oddity for Tony Stark to not wake up until late in the afternoon when she wasn't there to personally babysit him to make sure he was doing his job. When she reached the appropriate floor, the elevator opened to a dark room where she could see a faint blue glow shine in the dark from the couch.

"Tony, I'm back!" Came a high pitched and partially exhausted voice from the elevator door that had just beeped marking that it had just opened. She made her way over to the glowing and set her bag onto the floor. Thinking it was far too late in the afternoon for it to be this dark, she states, "JARVIS, please turn back on the lights, please."

"Yes, Miss Potts," said JARVIS and the lights came back to life. What Potts wasn't expecting was to see two worn out scientists lying on the couch in front of her. One including her boyfriend, the other seeming vaguely familiar from the Avengers report she witnessed before Tony had left.

"Tony, what's going on?" she said relatively calmly, with a bitter anger in her voice.

Tony looked up shocked that Pepper had come. He then realized he hadn't changed the security system yet, therefore Pepper could get in without any warning from JARVIS. Looking at the man on his chest he saw he was in a predicament. Perhaps he should have broke up with Pepper _before _pursuing the scientist in his arms.

"P-Pepper, we need to talk..." He had had many bad encounters with women before, but none he feared like the wrath Pepper might bestow upon him. She had a right to be angry, he had cheated on her while she was gone, and she had come home to see not another woman in her boyfriend's arms, but a man. He hoped they wouldn't wake Bruce, he had no idea how he'd react to the fact Tony had forgotten he had a girlfriend. _Oh God first Pepper's going to kick the shit out of me and then Bruce is going to leave me before we're even officially together. Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!_

"First of all, this is Bruce Banner," he said gesturing to the man in his arms with a nod of his head. "Second, I'm pretty sure I'm bisexual. Third, Bruce isn't just a friend."

With that he stopped not wanting to give more information than asked. He wanted to give her a chance to ask questions or time to let it all sink in. If Pepper didn't kill him during this talk, then Bruce would definitely get up and either Hulk out and murder him or slap him and go into hiding again. Stark wasn't sure what was worse.

Bruce had started to move himself off of Tony once he heard the other voices mingle together and he had been pointed out. To Tony's statement it was obvious who the ginger girl was and he couldn't help but feel hurt for himself and the girl standing above Tony. The drama bomb that was starting to prop itself then was immense, and Banner was caught in the line of fire. He didn't want to disturb the two and honestly, at that moment, his sunk heart didn't want to see the other man at that moment.

"I'm sorry, Miss...," the doctor had begun as he stood up from the couch. He didn't want to make eye contact with her, from the corner of his eye before he could see the fire building inside of her. The other unfortunate thing was that, he didn't even know the poor girl's name, besides Pepper that Tony just addressed her as.

"Potts," she said flatly.

"Miss Potts, I'm sorry," he tip toed around the coffee table and the woman and headed off in the direction of his room. His relaxed demeanor was once again rigid and forced. He wasn't going to be able to handle the fire fight that was going to commence.

"Tony, what the hell?" she shouted after the other man left the room. "Do you know how worried sick I was watching the TV! I thought you were dead for a while by the way they were covering it! And then you didn't even bother to tell me what the hell you were up to after everything was said and done?"

Tony sat listening to the woman yell. She had every right to. "Look Pepper I'm sorry. After I tried to call you before going through that portal and once you didn't answer I just didn't try to call again, thinking you'd call me back, but Bruce and I started working on repairing the suit, then repairing the Tower and well..."

Stark trailed off there figuring she could piece together the rest of what had happened. It made him feel a bit sad to know he had hurt her, but he just wanted Bruce. He would give up all his money if it meant being with Bruce. "And please don't be mad at him, he had no clue that I had a girlfriend."

He had used past tense there for a reason, if Pepper wasn't going to dump him right there, Tony was going to break it off. Even if Bruce ended what was just forming, it wouldn't be fair to Pepper to try and stay with her when he knew he didn't love her anymore.

She let out a large huff of air along with a glare. Finally she spoke again after Tony's final statement, "Fine, Mr. Stark. I really shouldn't be overly surprised by this with you. I've apparently forgotten that I'm just here to manage everything you do and clean up your messes. If you don't mind, I'm going to take my leave early today," she said heading back to the elevator she had gotten off only a few minutes before and left the premises. It wasn't the first or the last time she had played Stark's mystery game of life, but the next time, she wasn't going to be playing it that way with him again.

The yelling had died down from Bruce's room where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking out the window he had asked JARVIS to open up the blind for him. He felt bad for the woman who entered without knowing about them. Bruce didn't know what he was getting mixed up in and Tony was really one to blame for that. _Why didn't he just tell me...Or at least tell her first..._ The man had his elbows to his knees and propped up his head with his hands against his forehead. _Tony...why...?_

Tony sighed as the woman left, he honestly felt awful. This wasn't his usual antics, like one night stands, hopping from girl to girl, this was the one thing in the world that could make him leave Pepper. Tony walked to Bruce's room and knocked gently on the door. "Bruce? May I come in? I need to talk to you..."

_Oh God please let Bruce hear me out. Please please please let him forgive me. _It killed him that he hurt Pepper, but it tortured him to think that he hurt Bruce so much. He sighed a bit. "I'm really sorry, Bruce."

"Me too...," he said quietly in his room, just audibly enough for Stark to hear him outside the door. It wasn't like Bruce really wanted to see him right now. Of course the good doctor wouldn't have the heart to flat out say that though. It felt like for the brief period of time where he felt like he could trust someone was all just snatched away in an instant. Looking at the face of the man that earned that trust and took it away just as quickly wasn't going to make his twisted insides feel any better. Bruce let out a heavy breath of air into his lap, not sure how to go about what had happened.

After a moment Tony realized the other man wasn't going to let him into the room even to talk. He rested his head against the door lightly. "Bruce, this doesn't mean I care for you any less. I-I just couldn't tell you about her, with all the fun I was having with you I forgot she existed. When I realized my feelings for you, I should have called her. I made a mistake Bruce, please forgive me. I wasn't just stringing you along. Think about it, why would I keep pursuing you knowing I'm not going to get _any _sex, if I didn't have the intention of staying with you. You're not just a fling. Tell me how I can fix this."

The metal Avenger was begging, anything he could do to fix this he would. Tony knew how wrong he had been, he was just afraid that if he told Bruce about Pepper, Bruce would leave. As far as they had come had been destroyed because Tony had been too much of a coward to make a phone call to the girl with the name of a seasoning.

"Tony...you forgot she existed...within a day or two...How could you do that to her?" Bruce sounded as hurt as if he did the act himself. Thinking about it further, he thought about what Stark could do to him in the future. It wasn't normally like him to think about himself, but he didn't want to get hurt again. He might be in control now, but the other guy was always lurking there. "You may pursue me now, but what about the future? It took you two days or less to forget about Miss Potts. What about me...? What are you going to do when you get what you want then...?  
Bruce sounded really hurt. Wounded even, staring blankly into the palms of his hands. He had only stayed because Stark showed he really had feelings for him and he returned them, even if he shouldn't have. But apparently there was more than just him at the time. What will happen we he gets bored of him? Or finds someone else? Yeah, the title of playboy was very fitting for him.

"Miss Potts isn't you. No one else is like you. I will never be tired of you. Yes, I do want sex from you, but that doesn't mean that's all I want. Bruce, if it meant you'll give me another chance, I'd promise not to have sex until you saw me fit for your trust again. And I'd promise only to have sex with you if and when you're ready to trust me enough. Anything to get you to give me another chance," he bit his lip slightly. "Bruce, please don't do this. I love you."  
He was utterly surprised at his own words. He hadn't even told Pepper he loved her. And sure he had been faithful to Miss Potts until just recently, but never had he been willing to completely give up sex until someone was ready. Even Pepper gave in pretty easy. However, he meant every word. He'd do anything to get another chance. _Anything._

Bruce was surprised to hear of the man's claim of abstaining from sex for him until he was ready. Not that he knew he would ever be ready. The risk of Hulking out during that intimate of a moment was too great. Nothing could have prepared him for the last three words the man said to him through the door. They were completely striking to the man sitting on the bed, causing his heart to stop for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day.  
He pulled his head away from its resting position and stood. Tentatively making his way to the door, wondering if what he believed he heard was true. Could it possibly be true that _the _Tony Stark was really able to buckle down for him? That he really admits to loving him?  
The electronic door opened in a fast swoosh after Banner had played with the pad next to it. His glossy eyes having the desire and hope for what he said to be true. He bit his lip in anticipation as he managed to look at Tony with a small amount of trust he managed to muster back up.

Tony was surprised yet grateful that the man opened the door. The look in Bruce's eyes made Tony's heart jump. He took a breath and cupped the man's face gently. This time he looked Bruce in the eyes. He wanted Bruce to be able to see he meant every word he was saying. "I mean it. I will abstain from sex, until you say you want to have it. And if you never do then I guess I'll just be enjoying my hand for a very very long time. I love you Bruce."  
At this point he was ready to say he'd give up masturbation, that'd be nearly impossible for him, but for Bruce he'd try. He'd try anything, hell he'd take on the Hulk for him.

"I guess you really did mean what you said this morning," Bruce whispered thinking to how Tony had praised him so much while he thought he was sleeping. He gave a weak smile, "I still feel bad for Miss Potts, but I forgive you. Thank you, Tony. I...I love you too." And the small man gave a blush, unable to look away since Tony was holding his head to look right at his dazzling eyes.  
Of course the other matter came into play. He didn't want to deprive the other man just because of his 'condition'. It wasn't fair that he'd have to give up on something he craved. "Umm...well about the sex...," the topic was very awkward for the doctor to bring up, "Y-You'll have to do a little bit of convincing and taking it slow to not get me too worked up..." Bruce trailed off too embarrassed to finish his sentence, really wishing he could divert his gaze away from the dark eyes of Tony.

Tony turned a bright red upon finding out the man had been awake and heard him. "Y-You were awake? You _heard _me? Why didn't you stop me? You were _not_ supposed to hear that!" It then sunk in the man had said he loved him "You love me too?"  
Tony leaned down and kissed the man passionately. He was still utterly humiliated that the man had heard him pouring out every thought he had about the man. "We can take it as slow as you need to. For now, we don't even have to worry about that."  
Gently he kissed the man's forehead. "For now, it'll be just enjoying each other and science. Lots and lots of science. First chemistry, then physics and finally anatomy." He chuckled at his own joke. It was the nerdy science boy kind, but that just seemed to work for their relationship.

The kiss was practically magical, even though that was Thor's territory. All the worries Bruce had had were gone, washed away with the sweet taste of Tony as he entered his mouth. Not unwelcomed, but the untrained scientist couldn't help but feel like he was slightly inadequate for Stark's tastes. But Bruce didn't dwell on it. All he could think about was that he did indeed love the man kissing him. After Tony had broken off the kiss, he couldn't help but lick his lips to keep the taste from leaving.

He couldn't help but let out a small giggle at Tony's freak out of him hearing his conversation to his unconscious self and for the horrible science puns. "I'm a light sleeper," the good doctor let his secret be known. "And yes, I do and I appreciate you working with that," he blushed deeply, adding to the preexisting colour to his face.

"Oh there is one thing I need to tell you before we get off our break," he said seriously, his eyes giving their warning. He grabbed Stark's loose fitting t shirt and pulled the taller man to an appropriate height and allowed for himself to give the man one lustful kiss for the day. Bruce wanted to taste his soft lips on his again, to allow him one chance to explore the other man's mouth.

Tony was shocked at the man's forwardness, but wasted no time in returning the kiss. Tony opened his mouth and tangled their tongues together. Bruce's mouth tasted slightly of the Lipton tea he had drank earlier, and a sweet essence that was his own. His hands moved from the man's face to his waist to pull him closer. With their bodies flush against each other Tony could feel the other man's warmth, the other man's heart beat. Tony's hands moved of their own accord leaving the man's waist, they slowly moved down to feel the man's perfect ass.

It wasn't too long before Tony could feel one head's capacity going down and the other going up. At that point Tony pulled away; he had a promise to keep. "Wow. We should probably not do that kind of thing again when we have work to do. I mean it just makes it hard to focus on it all, because that is just way too damn good."

A moan had escaped from Bruce's mouth while his tongue was intertwined with Tony's. It had been ages since he's gotten to have any sort of pleasure on that level. He could barely just stand there and take it without feeling like he was going to collapse from the sensations that were developing. But of course, it wasn't exactly easing into the heat of the moment like he should have and the little beeps started firing off from his watch. When they finally pulled away the man could go back to regulating his breathing to make the noise cease.  
Catching his breath, Bruce nodded in agreement to Stark's comment with a smirk crossing his lips. "Probably a good idea. And you have a bad definition of taking it slow," the doctor teased as be managed to back Tony out of the door so they could possibly continue to work.

"I think break time is over now," Bruce said making his way out of his room. He gestured to the elevator at the possibility of going to finish the work they had lined up for themselves.

"Sorry, I promise I'll work on that. After we finish working do it again and I'll see if I can do a lot better of a job of easing into it. If I mess that up we can just try and try again," Tony laughed at his own joke. He realized he needed to do a better job of taking it slow. Bruce's forwardness had just surprised him so much; it just shut off his mind. It was just so damn sexy. _Control yourself Tony. You made a promise to this man and you sure as hell better keep, he might not give you another chance if you screw up that bad again._

Tony led the way to the floor they had been working on. "JARVIS, my suit please."

"Yes, sir," the suit was sent out and immediately covered Tony. Tony began working on quickly putting the insulation into the walls, then putting up drywall. The process was made to go a hell of a lot faster with the suit on. It didn't take him long to get to the point of priming the walls. Once the primer dried he'd be able to continue and begin individualizing the rooms with their specific paints and designs.

He stopped standing next to Bruce and raised his mask. "Hey, I just finished priming. I thought maybe you'd enjoy a little help with the electrical system here."

Bruce got back into the work zone fairly easy. Feeling a tad guilty for poor Pepper still made his mind take a bit to transition to the right state of mind. Soon enough, he was pulling the cables to the right areas of the circuit breaker. Turning switches on and off to make sure he was using it correctly considering the advanced energy system running on something entirely new to him. Watching the different areas where the power would go out or ignite to life.

Eventually a tall metallic figure went next to him while sitting cross legged on the floor, engrossed in his tinkering. When Iron Man spoke he gave a sudden jump of surprise, he was so used to the silence of blasting walls or painting that he wasn't ready to talk to the other man.

"Oh sorry," he said processing the request and giving a playful snort when realizing what Tony was implying. "If you insist. Your technology is flawless. The clean energy wiring is baffling though. It's been a fun experiment to play with though," he said as he tested each of the individual segments of power to the upper levels of the building, showing that it was operating like it should now.

"Wow, you picked up on it really fast. I don't think you _need _my help. With your wiring I'll be able to reload JARVIS into the system in no time. Good job." He gave the man a pat on the back. Tony was really impressed by the man's ability to understand his wiring so quickly. Not that he doubted Bruce could do it, he had just expected more questions. This was one of the many reasons he loved this man, he was so good at almost everything he did.

"My technology isn't flawless though, sometimes the wires begin to overheat and then Dummy has to put out another fire. I'm still working on that problem, but generally the more floors I have running the more energy is used which means less fires." He had no idea why he was sitting here and explain all this to the man, but it was fun. Talking about science like this always made him smile.

"How long until you think you'll be done?" He asked doing his best not to look over the man's shoulder. If Bruce was almost done with the wiring then they'd be good for the day and then Tony would have a chance to just relax again, hopefully this time it wouldn't be interrupted by something that could destroy the relationship. It then occurred to him, that he had never actually asked Bruce to go steady with him.

"I believe I'm done right about...now," the scientist put the box back into the wall, carefully moving the wires inside. His mind was racing with possibilities for the tech that ran the building. Along with some simple fixes that Stark may have overlooked. "And if you're having that kind of problem with the wires, you might want to insulate them more. Won't be a bad idea if you invested in thicker wires too."

Banner started to stand up from where he had rooted himself to the ground. He started to brush back his now dry hair from his face and turned to face the other man. A small lopsided smile came on his face while looking at Iron Man's exposed face, "You need me to help you with your work now?"

"How could I be so stupid and miss that! Thanks for the tip, I always forget the simple stuff and jump right into the assumption it has to do with something a lot more complicated than needing thicker wires or insulation," Tony felt so stupid and extremely embarrassed. He was a genius that kind of mistake was something he shouldn't be making, or at least it's the kind of mistake he should have caught himself by now.

"You already are by doing the wiring. But if you mean the walls, I got those all up on this floor and they're primed. They just need to dry and we can start painting them," Tony said all this with a small smile. He loved how eager the man was to work some more. "If you want to help me more, then how bout a date?"

Tony knew this could be a long shot. Bruce hadn't left the building since coming here, and the other man didn't seem to enjoy being in public places much. Still, Stark wanted to take the man out. He wanted to show him off to the world and say 'look what I've got, the best man in the world has chosen me.' It was a bit out there, but Bruce meant a lot to him and frankly the faster the public knew that he and Pepper were no longer together, the better. It'd probably upset Bruce if reporters kept writing about whether he and Pepper were going to marry soon or not.

The gamma scientist stopped dead in his tracks. Hell, he may of just kissed the man he was with not even a few hours ago, but the fact that he was asked out for the first time made his heart skip a beat. He felt like a teenager for the first time. An unconventionally, he was asked out by the bad boy of the school. _Mom would be so proud,_ Bruce thought sarcastically, slightly sad about remembering his mother jokingly.

"S-sure," Bruce said nervously, like the emotional mess he was. "What do you have in mind...?" It wasn't his biggest wish to leave the Tower. He had been among the stressful street of New York and it did none too kindly to him then. Neither was the Hulk when he had to stop Abomination afterwards. But maybe getting out of a work environment will do the man some good. He really hoped that Tony's onslaught of press wouldn't get him noticed though.

"Well, there's this really nice restaurant just a few blocks away. It's quiet and private. It's basically where people the press like to hound go, because they actually have private rooms. The food is great. I think you'll like it a lot," he was ecstatic the man agreed. It was quite adorable how the man squirmed at being asked on a simple date. Sure they had gone a bit out of order, kiss to cuddle to almost break up before even being together to making to going on their first date. It was a bit funny if you really thought about it.  
"I'll have JARVIS pick a nice suit for you to wear. JARVIS, feel free to give Dr. Banner any of my suits."  
"Yes, sir," Tony turned back to the other man.  
"Well, how about a quick shower, then we'll meet in the lounge?" He asked excited for the night to come.

Banner nodded, allowing for a small chuckle to come out. They walked back to the elevator to go to their separate rooms to prepare. This was Bruce's second shower of the day and something he wasn't that accommodated to. He was lucky to get a shower daily in some countries while he was traveling, let alone this often. After he was washed, again the fruity smell clung to him. Something he didn't mind too much and he dried off sufficiently so he wouldn't have his hair dripping wet onto a nice suit for the evening.  
_Nothing too strenuous, Banner, _he reminded himself as the prospects of the night finally started to hit him. _Don't get noticed and try not to hurt Tony..._  
He walked out of the bathroom, a towel around his waist, to find a suit that looked to be about his size. Still slightly bigger than him, but the doctor wasn't a big man to begin with. What stood out the most were the colours: a black suit and pants, with a green shirt and a purple tie. The doctor rolled his eyes at the combination; no doubt it was a joke from Tony that JARVIS had only participated in. He grabbed a pair of boxers from his bag and put on the attire. The suit was definitely too big for the small man. But that was something he did normally and didn't mind too much. After putting his shoes on, he adjusted the too-long pant legs to be appropriate.

Reaching for his wristwatch as a security device, he put it on under the baggy clothes and also made sure to pocket his glassed. Finally he made his way to the lounge where Tony was standing, ready to begin the festivities.

As soon as Tony got to his room he stripped down and took another hot shower. It had been so hot in the suit while he worked. After an exhilarating shower, he got out and shaved so he could sculpt his perfect beard. After brushing his teeth, he put on some aftershave and very expensive cologne. He went to his room and pulled out a suit with a black jacket and black pants. He grabbed a red shirt and a gold tie. At that point he smiled "JARVIS, please loan Dr. Banner a black suit with a green shirt and a purple tie."

"Yes, sir." Tony chuckled to himself hoping the man would get it was only a joke he wasn't trying to be mean. He tied his shiny black dress shoes and went to look at himself in a full length mirror on the inside of one of his closet doors. Finally he felt he was ready for a proper date with the other man.

_You can do this, a normal date. This is Bruce, so don't be too extravagant, just let him do as he pleases. _Tony had to give himself a pep talk in his mind. Most the dates he had, all he did was fling around some money and all the women were putty in his hands, but this was not one of those women. This was Dr. Bruce Banner who had been content spending so much time in third world countries, this was not about the money so buying Bruce lots of stuff was not going to work. Quite contrary it would probably push Bruce farther away.

Tony left his room to go wait in the lounge for the other man. While he waited he began thinking if tonight they would share the same bed again, and who's bed would it be? Tony blushed when his next thought came. _Should I even bother to remodel his room, when I hope he'll be in mine most the time anyway?_

At that moment he saw the other man and smiled. He held out and arm for him. "Ready for our first date?"

"As I'll ever be. Thanks for the suit, it's a...nice colour choice," Bruce said pulling at the ends of his coat. He noted that Stark had purposely tried to colour coordinate for their 'uniforms' and couldn't help but laugh. Also, he noticed how nicely Stark shaved in a short amount of time while he felt the stubble on his face from forgetting about it completely.

"Shall you lead the way?" he suggested since only Stark knew where to go and had a ride to get there to boot. There was a flush to his face while looking at the nicely dressed Stark. He had only seen him in his form fitting t shirts and loose jeans. Seeing him in some nice clothes was different, but not unwanted. Stark was very handsome and well, pretty sexy. Bruce gave his arm and locked it in with the extended one offered to him, turning his head away from Tony, trying to avoid letting the other man see his blushing face.

"You look great." Tony meant what he said. Though the clothes were a bit big for the smaller man, the colors really did suit him. Without really trying, Bruce was sexy on so many levels and that just made Tony want him more and more.

Tony smiled enjoying the closeness of the other man. He walked confidently to the elevator which took them down to his personal parking garage. Letting go of Bruce's arm, he moved to open up the passenger's side door of his Acura NSX for the other man. Once Bruce was comfortably seated, Stark closed the door and went to the driver's side. He quickly got in and turned on the car. As excited as he was for this date, he loved just having Bruce in the car with him, it reminded him of when Bruce first came to stay with him just a few days ago. Had he been asked then if he thought he'd be kissing the other man or dating him he'd have outright said no and probably punched whoever was asking for just implying he could be interested in men.

After buckling up Tony drove quickly to the restaurant. He allowed for a Valet so neither of them would have to walk in the dress shoes. The Valet beat him to opening the door for Bruce but he once again offered an arm for the man, he wasn't ashamed to show the world that Tony Stark had a boyfriend, and one that he loved very much. The restaurant was at the top of a tower and rotated slowly as people ate. When they reached the podium of the maître d' he requested one of the private rooms. The man nodded and led them to a quiet room with a small table for two. There was a candle in the middle of the table and a beautiful white tablecloth with gold embroidery on the edges. One wall was all windows, where the diners could look out into the night and see the bright city. Tony pulled out Bruce's seat for him.

"I hope this will suffice. I figured you weren't quite ready for large amounts of people just yet. Frankly, I wasn't ready to share you yet either," he said this with a small warm smile. So far Tony had managed to be a gentleman, and things seemed to be going well. He just wanted to show Bruce that he was special and not just a challenge that he was going to stop seeing once he got what he wanted.

Taking the chair offered to him, Bruce sat and looked down to what used to be Stark Expo below. Lights were lit all around in dazzling colours that made the night life seem very upbeat. There were the occasional crowds of people hanging around at the different areas and attractions of what used to be filled with Stark Industries tech. Some areas still did, like the museums dedicated to Howard Stark's early achievements. Seemed disappointing that not even two years ago this place was booming with people coming to see the unveiling of new technology daily, and now it was relatively quiet. Tech hidden away until deemed fit to announce it to the world.

"This is nice," the doctor said quietly playing with his hands in his lap. He was grateful for the dim lighting of the room, it was helping cover his red face. A first date for anyone was going to have that notion of embarrassment written on their face.

"Shame, wish I could have seen this place while you were still displaying your tech about," he said shyly and a quiet laugh escaped his mouth while staring at the candlelight on the table. "Then again, this place was probably a lot more crowded. Might not have been the best idea for me. Need a private showing I guess."

Tony smiled happy the man was enjoying the venue. He had put careful thought into it which he rarely did. Usually he just took his date anywhere he felt like eating. As he sipped his water the other man asked for a 'private showing' and Tony almost choked. Giving one of his playful smiles he said, "Well I will give you as many private showings as you like. Matter-a-fact come to my bedroom tonight and I'll give you a special one in return for one of your own."  
Stark winked at the man as he said this. He had promised to ease into things, he never said he wouldn't flirt nor tease the man. Frankly, if he didn't he wouldn't be himself, giving up sex was one thing, but giving up his usual confident personality was another. If Bruce loved him now, then changing his behavior was pretty much counterproductive. Just like if Bruce tried to behave like one of the elitist billionaires that were always at his parties. Tony loved Bruce like this; nice and awkward. It went well with his overbearing personality. Two very confident overbearing people just didn't work very well.

"N-n-not like that!" Banner babbled as he realized the context of what he said. He wasn't used to sexual innuendos and by god, everything he said can and will be used against him by the other man. Poor doctor had the smallest fraction possible to getting any sexual act before his incident while compared to the other man. His condition didn't help him in that favour at all. All the bedroom humour would hit him like a brick wall as he sprinted blindlessly forward.  
Trying to cool down, Bruce started sipping at his water. Soon enough a waiter came to the private room and asked, "What can I get you two gentlemen this evening?"  
Bruce finally noticed a menu in front of him he didn't touch beforehand. He wasn't one for eating much and wouldn't complain if the waiter brought him a bowl of cereal to tell the truth. Dr. Banner allowed for a quick look to Tony, who still had a devilish grin on his face, and pointed with an index finger of his intertwined hands that had been sitting on his lap.  
"I'm having what he's having," he said with an unsure voice and a small smile saying 'I have no idea what to do in a nice place like this.'

"How disappointing, that seemed like it would be my most successful showing yet," the man's reaction made him laugh a bit. He knew Bruce wasn't expecting that response, but he didn't think Bruce would become that uncomfortable. This was another reason he enjoyed the man's company, Bruce made it seem like Tony was unpredictable. Tony looked up when the waiter came. Hearing what the man was ordering he smiled.  
"We'll both have a Louchart Porterhouse, with baked potatoes steamed vegetables, and some calamari for an appetizer please. Also a bottle of champagne please," Tony handed the waiter his menu.  
"Yes, sir, and how would you like those cooked?"  
"Medium, please." Tony turned back to the other man with an 'how did I do?' look. He hoped that Bruce would enjoy the meal. Tony wondered how long it had been since Bruce had gotten to eat a big meal, that didn't have a chance of killing him or was extremely burnt.  
"I'll have that right away, sir," with that the waiter left them to themselves.  
"I know it's a lot, but don't worry about being polite or anything. Just eat what you want, the rest we can take home, or maybe give to a stray dog on the street. Whatever you like." It wouldn't do either of them any good for Bruce to eat himself sick thinking he should eat what Tony paid for.

Bruce nodded, shifting back and forth in his chair. The prospect of having to eat all of that food physically hurt. And having the same thing for days on end was partially dreaded. The dog idea was his best option and hope for at that moment. The silence in the room felt awkward, even to Banner. This was the nicest date he had and well, it was with one of the most powerful men in the world, kind of intimidating. It didn't help that whenever he looked up he saw the hungry eyes of Tony and it made him have to stare out the window or play with his hands.  
The waiter soon returned with a decent sized bottle of champagne. He poured the white liquid into the wine glasses already sitting on the table and rested the remaining beverage in a bucket of ice for them to use at their leisure. The doctor gave a combination of a sad smile along with a twitch at the corner of his mouth at the potential disaster placed in front of him.  
"I hope you know that you're going to be drinking a lot tonight," he said trying to be lighthearted about the issue. Tony had a drinking problem and so did Bruce. Bruce shouldn't do it, Tony couldn't do it enough.

"I know, and believe me I have no problem with that. Depending on how fast I drink this, you might be driving home. Think you can handle a sports car?" With this he took the glass of champagne and raised it.  
"To our first date and hopefully it's success," after the toast he sucked down the glass. It didn't take him long to refill it, this time he just sipped at it. Tony being drunk when trying to be on a successful first date with Bruce was probably not the best idea. A small buzz would do him just fine for the time being. Running a hand through his hair Tony decided to break the silence.  
"So, tomorrow do you want to work on the wiring for the lab to be, or want to help me paint everyone's rooms?" It amused Tony that all they really talked about was was science and work. He never had to work hard to entertain the man. Every woman he ever dated wanted to hear about his investments and shit like that, but Bruce Bruce wanted to talk about what they could do and what they would do. Frankly, it was a lot more entertaining than hearing girls talk about their modeling career or photography school.

"Haven't driven in a while...Might be best for you to be conscious to take us home," he rose the glass with small and bashful smile to clink it against the other. Bringing it back, he gingerly took a tiny sip. He wanted to be polite still and try to drink with Tony. Just not on the same level of drinking.  
"I'd be willing to start up the wiring to the labs. Unless you need my amazing colour coordination for everyone's rooms," he said referring to his lackluster taste in clothes. Normally all of his clothing were something well worn, but since he had been given such a surprising collection from Tony he had been trying on odd combinations of colours, not really knowing which goes with what. As long as he was clothes, by all means, it was a step in the right direction for him.

"Alright, Alright. I'll take it slow. I'll be honest, I love that car. I'd prefer it not crashed," he slowed down his sipping wanting to make sure he was able to drive. Tony noticed the man's slow sipping and gave him a small smile. "Bruce you don't have to drink it. It just makes me feel like a better host to have ordered it. I know you can't drink a lot of alcohol if any. I don't expect you to. Besides, one of us needs to be able to walk straight to get us inside the Tower."  
Stark really hated when he made the man feel as if he _had _to do anything, like drink or eat. He knew how much Bruce liked to be polite, and it probably didn't help that Tony had a tended to keep up his bad habits and a lot of times assumed everyone would just try to keep up.  
"You're color coordination would be appreciated, but you're just so good at wiring I think I'll have to ask you to start doing the lab's electrical work," he laughed a bit grateful the man was comfortable enough to joke around.  
The waiter then came in and placed the calamari on the table. "I hope everything is to your liking. Is there anything I can get you?"  
"No, thank you. I think we're okay," Tony waited until the waiter left to continue. He grabbed a piece of calamari and popped it into his mouth. "Bruce, you've got to try this. The calamari here is great."  
With that he grabbed another piece and held it out for the man to eat. Knowing Bruce he'd be too nervous to actually allow himself to be fed, but it was worth a try. This way if the other man really was too nervous he could just take it from Tony's hand instead, avoiding another potential awkward moment.

"You really like testing me, don't you?" Bruce sighed and gave a shrug. He could tell that Tony was trying to get him to be as himself as possible which called for his unrefined social skills to come into play and for hilarity to ensue. Where Banner was falling for it perfectly, even seeing some of the easy traps he's fallen into.  
Crossing his arms to make him feel more comfortable about his actions, he diverted his eyes to the window so he wouldn't have to see Stark's smug smile at winning him over. With a pout, he parted his lips and bit down into the calamari that was close to him. Chewing the piece of food, it was evident that he was flustered by his own actions. But he did have to admit, it was delicious.  
"It's good," Bruce said sheepishly. He reached over the table to grab another one. "I think I can handle this on my own though," he said after popping the seafood into his mouth with a smirk of his own.

"Test you? You think I'm testing you? Why Bruce, I'm hurt. I'm simply offering you some calamari." It really made him happy when the man actually allowed himself to be fed. Bruce had been right though, Tony was testing. However he wasn't testing Bruce, he was testing Bruce's limits. If he was to keep his promise, he had to find the limit first. After that he'd be able to try and ease past it.  
"Are you sure you can handle that all by yourself? I mean it seems like it'll be a bit hard to handle," it surprised Tony that Bruce had been able to go right back to joking after having a slight awkward moment. Smiling, Tony realized when it came to Bruce most the time romantic and awkward could be used interchangeably. Any moment that Tony considered romantic, Bruce probably considered it to be the most awkward of all the moments they had together.  
Tony kind of wished that he had gone with a restaurant with better lighting. He was sure that the man would be blushing at the moment, and that was something Tony loved to see. It was just adorable and attractive. Sometimes he wanted to take a picture to replace his car as a screensaver, but then he realized he'd rather a much sexier picture, then he'd come to the final realization Bruce would destroy his computers before he let Tony have a sexy picture of him as a screensaver or background.

"I feel like I can sufficiently manage," defending himself as he dared to take another piece of calamari from the plate to slowly put in his mouth to tease Stark. His tongue wrapped around the small fish and retracted it slowly into his mouth so he could chew it.

Imagining how inept he must look, he put a hand to his head and starts laughing. His attempt to be 'sexy' felt like that of a teenage kid trying to tie a knot in a cherry stem except it was with a fish. And he couldn't really do anything more with it, but eat it. He braved a glance to look at Stark, his hand parting slightly so he could get a glimpse through it, still laughing about his actions.

Tony watched the man's attempt at sexily eating calamari. To anybody else it would probably seem like Bruce was mentally challenged, but Tony appreciated the effort. It was quite sexy to him, but he still laughed. No matter how much the effort was appreciated it was funny as hell to see. At first he tried to hold it in, but seeing Bruce laugh only made him laugh harder. It hit him that this was the first time he had heard Bruce actually laugh. Usually it was a small smile here, a giggle there, but nothing so expressive as this. He was glad he finally got to 'see' the man having a good time for once.  
"You know, this is the first time I've heard you laugh. You have quite an infectious laugh. Now I know why you don't drink at all, a sip of champagne and you're trying to seduce me with a piece of calamari," again Tony laughed. He sipped at his champagne, then popped another piece of the appetizer in his mouth. "Maybe I should get you to drink a bit more when we're at home and see what you try and seduce me with there."

"Probably not the best idea," Bruce huffed turning his head to the window yet again like a teenage girl. But he did notice Tony had a point. He was being himself, he was relaxed. Another first in a long time. Out of habit he checked his watch surprised that he wasn't hearing the thing ding like crazy. Not only was he relaxed, he was in control. For now, at least.  
Even though Stark had said he didn't need to, Bruce took another sip from his wine glass. He was having fun, and breaking the rules. If he could maintain control while fooling around, another sip or two of champagne wouldn't doom the world.  
Soon the calamari was picked at and the waiter returned bearing more food, a lot more food. Bruce nearly gasped as he saw the size of the portions from what Tony ordered. Not only that, but he felt guilty from eating the calamari which had filled him up.  
"Dinner is served," the waiter announced dramatically and then let the men to their meal.  
"You're kidding, right?" Bruce pointed to the giant steak sitting on the plate before him. He knew Porterhouses were large, but it seemed like he had half a cow on his side of the table alone. This was the size of all his meals for a week or two combined. Confirming to himself without needed a response, he stated flatly, "You're kidding."

Tony laughed again, impressed that the man was actually drinking a bit more. It wasn't often Tony got Bruce to relax, but when he did it was a great feeling. Just enjoying each other making jokes, for once they weren't even talking about work or science. For once neither of them were hurt, or hiding any kind of longing. Tonight it was just them saying what ever came to mind and doing whatever they wanted.  
When the waiter brought their food Tony had to suppress a laugh because of Bruce's reaction. The man looked as if a bomb was put in front of him. "What's there to kid about? I thought you'd enjoy a real meal for once, instead of Dummy's burnt food or my lethal cooking. It just so happens you can enjoy having a real meal for a couple nights afterwards too."  
With that Tony cut into his steak and took a big bite. It was tender, juicy and packed with flavor. It was rare when Tony actually took the time to savor his food. Usually he just ate it while he worked, focusing more on the project at hand than the food in his mouth. He looked up at Bruce. "So even though it's big, do you like it?"

Banner took in a deep breath while giving a shrug. Since it was already there, may as well. Clumsily cutting into the giant piece of meat, he managed to break off a piece. It didn't help that Tony was staring at him and making him a tad bit uncomfortable again, his previous embarrassment didn't add to the fact. Bruce took the bit of meat to his mouth, chewed it, and swallowed. It was one of the best cuts of meat he'd ever eaten.  
"Yes, it's delicious," he said way too surprised at how meat could taste. He had to admit though; he's woken up to worse. "But if we're trying to feed a Hulk, the other guy, we'd need at least a dozen of these. I've woken up with twenty pizza boxes scattered at my feet."  
The small doctor could only handle a few more bites before he felt too filled. He placed his fork and knife down and looked at the other man still working at his meal. A small thankful smile was on his face, his eyes glossy in the candlelight. Finally he managed to pipe up and say, "Thank you...For everything."

"I can imagine the look someone's face seeing a man sleeping naked with twenty pizza boxes around him," Tony laughed a bit. He knew that was probably embarrassing for Bruce, but it was really a funny thought. It then hit him, there were probably a lot of strangers that have seen the other man naked, yet Tony hadn't. The metal avenger actually found himself jealous of people he didn't know existed until he had that thought. It just wasn't fair. Now Tony was more determined than ever to get that 'private showing' from the other man. Though he did promise to ease into it, just looking shouldn't be too bad right?  
"There's nothing to thank me for. It's a pleasure spending time with you, therefore it is nothing but me pleasuring myself," he smiled at his innuendo. To him, Bruce had nothing to thank him for since Tony was also enjoying himself. Besides having the man around increased Tony's inventing and researching capabilities since he had someone to bounce his ideas off of. Not to mention the man indirectly made Tony slow down his drinking, by making Tony have to stay on his toes when it came to having to say the right thing.

Bruce simply pinches his brow and shakes his head at the last comment. Even Bruce Banner could pick up the obvious hidden meaning in it. But he did wish Tony would take his thanks. He meant it. If it wasn't for Tony, he would be running around in India or some other country trying to avoid the police and help people, not that he wasn't used to that still. Seeing soldiers on the helicarrier still made Banner turn his head to hide, but with Tony, for now, he was safe.  
"Seriously...Thank you," Banner said meaningfully after he was able to compose himself. He'd say it as many times as necessary for the other man to realize he really cared. He even managed to look at Tony in his devilish eyes. There was wanting there, but somehow the doctor was able to overcome it. The contact didn't last long, and his head was soon back to the window to see the ground hundreds of feet below. He used his napkin to wipe his face and said, "I think I'm good for the night."

Tony dropped his playful demeanor for a moment the man actually looked him in the eyes. It was scary how much power the man had. All Bruce had to do was look Tony in the eyes and he was easily bent to Bruce's will. He sighed and gave a small nod. "You're seriously welcome. However, you don't have to thank me, I honestly wouldn't do any of it if I didn't want to. Frankly, it makes me feel a bit uneasy when you do thank me, like you agree to these things out of obligation because you're grateful."  
It was a scary thought, but one that had crossed Tony's mind. Bruce had a habit of being too polite. Sometimes it worried Tony that Bruce accepted his affections only because he was grateful and felt it was the best way to repay him. Tony rather be rejected then get a pity date, though he wouldn't be opposed to pity sex. Stark wanted Bruce to love him, because he loved him, not because he felt like he _had _to for the sake of returning Tony's kindness.

"I'm sorry...," he said giving a distressed look. His heart had felt like it sunk to his stomach again for that day. _What am I doing...?_ Bruce thought to himself. Sure he knew he had feelings toward Tony, but it was still something he would have preferred to keep hidden and locked away. It was like Tony was undoing him from the seams to open him up and frankly it was terrifying. _Maybe I should have left that day..._  
Bruce was of course grateful to Tony. That much was shown. But on the inside, he didn't know whether or not he was doing it to be polite like he always was, or if he was actually fulfilling his wants and desires. In his confusion, he downed down the rest of his champagne, causing him to scrunch up his face at the overload of alcohol to the system. Something he could handle, his little heart monitor wasn't objecting to it yet.

"No need to be sorry, I won't get the suit and attack you for it," he gave the man a small smile, which disappeared as he watched the man drained his glass of alcohol. This was probably not good. Usually Tony encouraged Banner to break his rules, but this was _way _past his usual pushing of limits. Was this because of his statement? Who was he kidding, of course it was! Tony quickly called the waiter for the bill. The faster he got Bruce home the better.  
"Hey hey, slow down there. I'm not taking it away from you. What happened to alcohol increases the heart rate?" It wasn't like Tony had any right to tell somebody else to slow down, but he felt Banner might need a reminder that he had a much bigger limitation than just getting drunk. When the waiter came Tony paid the bill and stood. "Are you ready to go home?"

Banner stood, feeling a little more disorientated than he was before his binge. Sometimes he wished he could just turn off his mind. Be carefree like everyone else. But that wasn't going to happen anytime soon. His mind was still wrapped around what Tony said and how he actually feels. _Ugh...Banner you really are just this socially awkward..._  
After a delay, he realized that the other man asked a question. One was about his drinking which he ignored. He didn't want his mind to process anything at the moment and the alcohol in his system helped for that. To the other, he responded, "Yeah, probably for the best. Do you still need me to drive? I think if I managed to ride a rundown motorcycle, I'll probably be able to handle a sports car." Not that he really overly wanted to drive. He still knew little of the layout of the city and driving would only cause more stress than necessary.

"I think I should drive. You weren't too confident before, and you should be even less confident now," he stood up ready to help the man to the car if needed. When they reached the car he opened the door for the man and helped him in. It wasn't often he was the one helping someone else, but it was refreshing. He drove them both home, with the roof down to give Bruce some air, and made sure to get Banner to his room. It wasn't that he thought Bruce was drunk, he just knew that if the man was buzzed that was still probably a lot more than he ever did.  
"Alright, can you handle changing or are you a bit too dizzy for that?" He wasn't asking as an excuse to undress the man, though he'd have to use that one later, he wanted to make sure nothing happened like the man falling and hitting his head or anything like that. It'd be bad if the other guy came out while Bruce wouldn't have the mental capacity to try and stop it.

"I can handle myself," he said quietly, playing with the watch on his left wrist. A heavy look was in his eyes staring down at the object with a frown that could be taken for a scowl on his face. He turned around from the other man and placed the device to his forehead, taking in a deep breath. Exhaling, he saw the number going down a tad. His drink had played a little part in elevating his heart rate, but it did good at keeping his thoughts from collecting together.  
He removed his coat and placed it on the dresser where he found it from and started to loosen his tie. Bruce removed his shoes and sat on the edge of the bed, his hand on the edge of his forehead, messaging the hair it was running through. Still regulating his breathing, he laid his back down of the bed letting his feet hang off and touch the floor.

"Are you going to be okay?" Tony asked this as he sat on the bed next to the man. Tony turned and slowly leaned over the man to unbutton his shirt for him. Since the man was laying down he couldn't really take the shirt off for him. He got off the bed and unbuttoned the man's pants pulling them off, which was a lot easier than if he had tried to take off the man's shirt. Sitting on the bed again he leaned over the man and kissed the man's forehead gently.  
"Well that would have been more fun, if I wasn't worried about you," he stated, kissing the man's temple. It was one his favorite places to kiss, second to the man's lips of course. It was a place that wasn't too intimate for the other man, but enough to show affection. Remembering earlier in the day, Tony smiled and placed a hand over the man's eyes.  
"I find cutting out light helps when trying to think with a buzz. Do you want a glass of water?" He asked wanting to take care of the man. Maybe he was overreacting; it wasn't like the man had just drank ten tequila shots. Still...when was the last time he had a full glass of alcohol in that short amount of time?

Bruce shivered under the man's touch, sort of glad he didn't have to undress himself, shutting his eyes to the sweet kisses that kept making him squirm. When Stark placed his hand on his eyes, the fidgeting stopped. A sudden soothing took over which was much appreciated. It helped his cloudy mind settle and momentarily stop.  
"I would appreciate that," Bruce stated when asked about the drink. He sighed and went back to resting underneath the man. "I'm sorry. I just find this very relaxing."

Tony went to the bathroom and brought out a glass of water, he was finally grateful Pepper made him put a glass in every bathroom should she need to get water in him to help sober him up a bit faster. Helping the man sit up he handed him a glass of water. "Feel free to relax don't worry."  
He rubbed the man's back gently; he decided he wasn't going to be ordering a bottle of alcohol for them any time soon. It was a bad idea if it was going to end up like this every single time. "When was the last time you drank something that quick?"

"College, when I was in a 'feisty' mood," he answered relatively quickly and downed the water just as fast. "Meaning my roommate got sick of me constantly studying and dragged me to a party and made me to chug a bottle of beer. Which tasted awful, by the way," he gave a disgusted face remembering the drink.

Bruce turned to face Stark who was doing a nice job playing with his back. It was a lot more contact than what he was used to and it sent shivers down his spine. The pleasure easily shown on his face, but tried to be hold it back with Banner biting his lower lip. He closed his eyes again and started inhaling and exhaling rhythmically, trying to calm down the sensation building up.

"T-thank you," Bruce managed to stutter trying to let it be known that Stark could stop trying to help him at any time. He was starting to get excited which was causing him to get very nervous and tense.

"Well, I sure hope you had a lot better time with that than you are right now," he laughed a bit. The thought of the man at a party chugging alcohol, was just amusing. The thought of Bruce in college was just plain sexy. Hopefully the man would show him a lot of pictures from that time. Maybe JARVIS would be able to to find some online. He made a mental note to have him search the web for it.

"Anytime, I'll let you get some sleep." Tony had noticed the man's tensing and frankly he had promised to ease into things. Which meant knowing when to and not to push the man's limits, especially when the man had already pushed his limits so much for one day. At that moment Tony got his devilish look back, "but not until I get a good night kiss. "

It may not have been fair to take advantage of the fact that the man probably wanted Tony gone, but Stark felt he deserved a bit of a reward for properly restraining himself even when undressing the man. Besides a good night kiss was the perfect closing for a successful first date.

"Not really. I would have preferred to study then. But right now, I'm enjoying this more," Bruce said blushing, naturally and from the alcohol. The alcohol was just enough to push the conflicting feelings aside about Tony. He was grateful to the other man, but he did know that the man next to him, was dead sexy and he loved his way of science. Tony's touch was also making him happy in the pants. In the boxers to be exact, since Tony so readily discarded the man's pants onto the floor. Of course, this sort of thing he avoided indefinitely. But tonight, with breaking the rules and tearing down walls, he didn't mind it except that his problem wasn't being taken care of. _Remember to watch your heart Banner..._he reminded himself. If he was going to go through with this, he damn well better not fuck it up and Hulk out on the other man.

Banner flopped back down onto the bed when Stark mentioned sleeping. Sleeping was one of his worst subjects of expertise. A smirk crossed his lips and he got a devilish look in his own eyes. "I'm not allowed to sleep until I kiss you? Looks like I'm going to have to avoid that for the evening," he said slyly, using Tony's own words against him. Tony's tie was dangling at his fingertips, the soft satin feeling nice against his skin. He raised his hand to grab at the article of clothing and pulled it down, bringing the man attached to it near him. Stark's face an inch or two away from his own.

"What do you have to say about that, genius?" Bruce asked with a wide smile displayed for the man to see.

* * *

Tony was quite shocked at the other's forwardness. This was a lot like when the man initiated a hot and heavy make out session. Just the memory of that was getting Tony excited. He smiled at the other man. He really hadn't been expecting his words to so successfully be used against him. He looked down at the man's body. His eyes scanned Bruce's neck, his collarbone, his chest, and eventually his eyes made their way down to his underwear where he noticed the 'happy' reaction.

"Then I'd have to say this date isn't over yet, and that mean it's still my job to entertain you." Tony wanted nothing more than to remove the rest of Bruce's clothes and his own get into a very sped up version of easing into things. Usually he'd just give into his desires, but it was just so much sexier to see Bruce taking the lead.

"So doctor, how may I assist you?" Playing the nurse wasn't exactly Tony's cup of tea, but if it encouraged Bruce, then it was worth taking this very small blow to his ego.

"Please take it slow...I want this to last...," Bruce whispered into Stark's ear. He rested his head back onto the bed and released the tie he was holding onto. Banner was becoming fully aware of the situation he put himself in and was regulating himself accordingly, his hot breath becoming incredibly calm and regulated. Mixing in with that of Stark's, it was causing his body temperature to rise and the weight of his watch becoming heavy on his wrist.

_Slow and steady, Banner...Watch that watch as annoying as the blasted thing is..._he thought about the shackle on his wrist, but it was interrupted soon enough by Stark making his way at the man's body.

"I promised to ease into it didn't I?" This was Tony's way of trying to reassure the man. Tony started out kissing the man's temples and slowly made his way to the man's neck. He gave a slow sensual lick along the man's neck, before choosing a spot to suck on roughly for the time being. Usually he'd be nipping and biting the sensitive area, but considering the man's freak out a couple days ago when he blood just spilled on the floor, Tony figured that getting it in his mouth probably wasn't the smartest idea in the world.

"You know how to get me to stop right?" He whispered into the man's ears huskily. He continued sucking on the man's neck as he waited for an answer. Once he was sure there would be a large, easily visible hickey where he'd been sucking he moved to the other side of the man's neck.

"Fuck..." he whispered having the sense of pleasure run up his spine at last. The sensation was better than he imagined. It'd been so long since any sort of contact that it felt like his body was overly sensitive to the touches and kisses Tony was giving him.

When Tony started sucking at Bruce's neck, he couldn't do anything but let out a suppressed moan from the back of his throat. His shoulders tensed up and he wriggled underneath the man expecting him to reply. Even as he bit his lip and moaned he kept his breath regular. Calm and smooth. While Tony let him have a break for a second Bruce was able to reply with a small nod and a quiet "yes" that left his lips.

Tony smiled and quickly removed his jacket and tie. After making sure both sides of Bruce's neck had sufficiently sized hickies, he moved down to play with the man's nipples. His mouth sucking on one and a hand pinching the other. Eventually he switched to make sure both were equally stimulated. It was then he stopped all ministrations. _If he wants it he's going to have to work for it._

"If you want me to continue you're going to have to help me out here. I'm still fully clothed," he pointed out. "You're just going to have to take care of that won't you?"

"O-oh god...," Bruce moaned as Tony played with his chest, his heart starting to race and his shackle starting to warn him of it. _125...I'm alright..._But just as it started to go off Tony had stopped, causing Bruce to cease his squirming. He looked into Tony's eyes with a want and desire for the other man to continue.

"You're cruel, I hope you know that," he managed to pant. Taking the time to bring his breathing back to normal and to lower his heart rate, he slowly started to unbutton Stark's red dress shirt revealing the arc reactor's glow from underneath. Soon the shirt hung over the man's shoulders like it did his own. His hands moved down from Tony's muscled sides, gently running over his skin until he got to the hem of his pants. Maneuvering under the edge of the pants he teased the border of his back and firm buttocks. After he was done playing, he moved downward to unbutton his pants and unzip them. Allowing his hands extra time to run over Stark's ass and thighs before he let the pants slide off.

"Is that better?" he asked after his monitor had gone back done to an 86, about an extra sixteen points above his normal rate, but to be expected with the added alcohol in his system.

For a moment Tony thought they were going to have to stop, when he heard the monitor beeping, but when the sound stopped and the other man took off his clothes he knew he was good to go. He hadn't expected Bruce to actually feel his body as well, at least not at that point. He had really expected the man to refuse. "Much better."

Tony removed his unbuttoned shirt from his shoulders, and then slid his hands under the shoulders of Bruce's shirt pushing it down his arms. Once the shirt was removed Tony's hands roamed Bruce's body, feeling every part of his torso. The smooth skin still smelled slightly of the fruity soaps he had used twice today, the out of place scent only added to the experience. As he kissed down the man's chest one of his fingers played with the elastic of the other man's boxers. Once he reached the lower abdomen tony slowly began to pull down the offensive article of clothing.

"Oh god fuck!" Bruce yelped out still trying to control his breathing. The little touches and actions from Tony was driving him crazy. He had even yet to touch his penis and yet it was throbbing hard already. Once fully exposed, he couldn't help put close his eyes and bite down on his lip. The pleasure was almost unbearable. _Oh god... so this is what you've been missing for all these years, Banner..._  
"S-slow...remember that," he moaned out knowing full well where the next course of action was going to be taken to by Tony.

"I know. I promised didn't I?" He gave a devious smile as he looked over the man's body. This was the first time he was getting to see Bruce fully exposed. Frankly he liked what he saw, especially a certain part of the man that was standing proud and at attention. The man's moans and words only encouraged him to continue. Leaning down Tony gave a tentative lick to the tip of the man's penis. Considering Bruce was the first man Tony had been with, he had little experience with giving blowjobs, he never really went down on women either. This was bound to be sloppy, but it was worth a shot. However he wasn't too worried considering how long Bruce had been out the dating game he probably wouldn't remember what a good blow job felt like, if he ever had that is.  
Slowly he licked the length, before taking a small amount into his mouth. He began sucking gently at first then a bit more rigorously. Eventually he got a bit more adventurous took more into his throat, trying to ignore the gag reflex. He began to bob his head as he sucked. Just like when he began it was slow at first, then he sped up a bit. In all honesty he couldn't believe he was sucking a man's cock, this was something he thought he'd never do without extreme torture. Yet with Bruce it wasn't as embarrassing as it could be, and he knew the other man would never talk about their sex life. His ego would be safe from someone asking on whether or not he sucked the other man's cock.

Bruce couldn't even talk anymore. His moans were flying out of his mouth and he twitched and wiggled in pleasure. The warmth of the man's mouth on his dick alone was enough to cause him to squirm. All the added movement and pressure was just building him up more and more. The only problem was, that his heart monitor flared up in an instant as soon as Tony's mouth came into contact.  
_149...Watch it Banner..._  
Between all his groans and wiggling of ecstasy he could barely even read the monitor on his wrist. His glasses were elsewhere and it was a pain to read. He just gave in and thrusted his hips into Tony's mouth, wanting more, unable to control himself any longer. Tony just took himself into him, even bringing a hand to play around with his scrotum causing his monitor to sound even faster. It felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest from all the excitement.

* * *

He looked back to his watch that he had been ignoring for some time now. All the waves of pleasure running through him were just too good. He relished in the thrill of it all. He tried to make out the number of his heart monitor: 198.  
_FUCK!_  
Bruce pushed the man off his as fast as he could. It wasn't going to be a happy site in the room next. He clutched at his chest and started his ritual to calm him down. _Stop panicking! Calm down!_ But it was too late for that, the monitor only got faster. Bruce's eyes turned a bright glowing green as he looked back to the man that he had thrown over on the bed.  
"GET OUT!" Banner yelled before he changed completely, utterly terrified of what was to come.

"Bruce fight it! It's _your _body, you can do it." Tony knew his words probably didn't help much, but it was worth a shot. He was still his Bruce until those large muscles began to form and until that time he wouldn't run for the Iron Man suit. _Well this situation is a bit of a turn off._  
Fearing his time to talk to his Bruce was running short he moved to the other man kissed him passionately before pulling him into a tight embrace. "Sorry big guy, but I think this date is over."  
Tony decided not to let go until he felt the smaller man expanding. Bruce could kick and push all he wanted, but as long as Bruce was still Bruce Tony wasn't going to leave him. Especially since Tony had caused it. Knowing the likelihood of surviving a fight with the green monster, Tony took a deep breath and whispered "I love you, no matter what."

Stark was moving towards him. The prospect of him hurting the man at this point was pain inducing. "What are yo-," he begun to ask while he was still in control and then the sweet taste of Stark filled his mouth again. Not lustfully, but lovingly and it was enough to make his heart skip a few beats to bring down his heart rate. Tony had retracted his mouth, but still held onto the small man. Banner clung on for support for he felt like he was going to collapse after that potential disaster, using him to until his breathing straightened out and when the beeping on his wrist stopped. His green eyes once again their dark brown colour as he looked up to Stark.  
_Inhale. Exhale. You're lucky as shit to be here right now Banner..._he thought to himself.  
Bruce nodded in agreement to their date. He did promise it would be over when he kissed Tony, but considering the circumstances Tony kissing him qualified just as well. The beeping and slowed down indefinitely until the physicist was back to his normal 70 bpm. The doctor lost all the feeling in his legs when he had finally regulated and had to be held up by Stark if he was going to remain standing.  
"I'm so sorry, Tony...I...I really shouldn't have gone through with that...," he said apprehensively, still afraid he'd have a Hulk out at any moment.

Tony felt the man's heart beat slow down. The man's warmth was calming and Tony smiled. "There's no need to apologize, though if you Hulked out this time I would get the suit and attack you," he joked before allowing himself to separate from the man enough to kiss his forehead gently. "I'm glad you did. You drank more alcohol in one go than I've ever seen, I finally got to see you naked, I gave my first blow job-though I hope my next one will be a bit more successful, I even got to hear those sexy moans as you called out 'Oh God'-which I do appreciate being called that thank you, and you managed not to Hulk out during all of it. Frankly, I consider that a successful first date."  
Though neither of them got off, it was still fun and Tony wouldn't have traded that experience for the world. Frankly, he hoped to get to try again sometime soon. They just needed to establish a place with stronger walls and a better alarm for when Bruce's heart rate was getting up to high. At that moment, Tony smiled to himself realizing he had new additions to the blueprints now. He was going to change his room to be Hulk proof, a lot like the one S.H.E.I.L.D. had on the helicarrier, but instead it would look like a bedroom and it would only lock once Bruce or Tony said for it to lock and only unlock when one of them said to. He'd have to set it up so that voice recognition would only accept Bruce's order to unlock the chamber once he his voice wasn't strained, and his heart rate was within a safe range.

"Shouldn't give you that much on an ego boost, you may combust at any moment," Bruce said while snuggling into Tony's chest. It felt good to have someone to hold him up and he was going to take full advantage of it for the time being. Still mind boggling to him, was the fact that Tony was able to calm himself down that fast and risked his life for him. Reckless and stupid, but it did get the job done which was a miracle in itself.  
"But thank you...I...I couldn't have gotten through all that without you," he said blushing, hiding his face into a spot on Stark's chest that the arc reactor wouldn't bug him. Shifting uncomfortably, it was becoming very evident that he was Stark naked and it was making him feel every more exposed.  
"Umm...can I put my boxers back on now? Almost turning into a giant green rage monster kinda killed my boner...," Bruce reluctantly said while trying to burrow his face further into Stark to hide his shame.

"I may combust, but that has nothing to my ego," he laughed at his joke tightening his grip on the man a bit to feel him against his chest a bit more. It was nice to have his Bruce in his arms, though being in the other guy's arms after falling out of space wasn't too bad either. Hearing the man thank him he smiled. "Did you expect me to leave you? I won't run to get the suit until you start getting muscles."  
Tony looked down to see what he could of the other man's nudity. Even after all that he still looked sexy as hell. "Though we're not going to be doing anything more tonight, I'd prefer that you didn't. I'm capable of looking without touching. "  
Stark still wanted to try again, but he knew that was not happening. Since they never got to finish, the least they could do was cuddle, and frankly cuddling with no clothes on sounded a hell of a lot more fun than cuddling with boxers on. He got a devious look in his eye. "If it'll make you feel more comfortable, I'll take mine off too."

"Not particularly, but I'm exhausted enough to not care as long as we're under the covers," he said warily. Freeing himself from the man's grip and staggered a bit, he reached out for Tony's hand to move to the bed so he could collapse finally. Bruce waited patiently for Tony to slowly remove his own boxers, making sure he was getting the private showing he promised earlier. Thus, causing the doctor to turn his head to look at anything else in the room, not wanting to invade in Tony's privacy even if the man wanted him to. Banner mode was activated, and he was already uncomfortable with his own nakedness, let alone that of the other man's constantly watching him.  
Bruce climbed into bed, waiting for Stark to finish off showing off. He laid himself down so he could move the blanket over the both of them once Tony joined. Soon enough, the heat of the other man enveloped his back, along with two strong arms wrapping around his front. Banner moved the blanket over the two so he could feel less embarrassed of the situation and so he could trick his mind to sleep.  
"Goodnight, Tony...," he said drowsily. The name lingering on his lips and his brown eyes, becoming heavy closed. Soon he drifted off into a deep slumber.

"Goodnight Bruce," Tony smiled a bit as he felt the man's chest move up and down slowly. Up and down, up and down. Beat, beat, beat, beat. The rhythm of the other man's respiration and heart beats played a lullaby for the genius which was exactly what he needed to take his mind off the fact they were so close, yet they couldn't do anything. It was disappointing that Bruce hadn't taken advantage of his private showing. He knew the man liked to respect people's privacy, but he had been doing it just for him. Maybe next time he'd take Bruce on his private jet and use the pole, maybe then he wouldn't be able to resist looking.  
"JARVIS set the alarm for eight, please have Dummy make bring up breakfast," he whispered not wanting to wake the slumbering man in his arms.  
"Yes, sir," responded the robotic voice. With that Tony cuddled into the man a bit more and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5 Past

**Happy Thorsday everyone! And here's a chapter I really liked writing because back story :3 Even though this is based on the movies, I'm still splicing in the comic book history here for I find it pretty tragic. Hopefully it won't offend too many and hopefully I did it justice. Thanks again for reading! We'll probably post again soon for the late delay of last week.**

**WE DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. BUT I DREAM ON.**

Chapter 5 - Past  
BEEP BEEP BEEP  
The alarm went off overhead, causing Bruce to jump up to attention. Normally this would either be a sign of a potential Hulk out for him, or the Hulk Busters trying to take his ass in again. Either one would lead to a big green mess. Nothing was there to try and kill him, and his heart monitor was silent, so the man let out a sigh for his paranoia getting the best of him. However, his sudden action had disturbed the the billionaire clinging onto him having to let go of his prize. Bruce rubbed his temple, no hangover had occurred luckily, but it wasn't like he had been drunk enough to get one. His actual amount of sleep for the night might have saved him from one of his traditional headaches.  
Looking around the room Dummy was spotted in the corner with more oddities for breakfast. He rolled over and delivered his goods to the couple and left to return back to the kitchen. On a tray there looked to be some sort of juice, toast, blueberries and Stark's own morning wake up call. The juice was blue in colour and not overly trusted by the physicist. The toast had been toasted, but was rock hard and stone cold. When Bruce took a bite it caused him to choke and cough up a white smoke. The blueberries were the only other thing left and the doctor hoped that they weren't laced with anything.  
"Well the good news is, your drink looks fine. The bad news is, we're probably out of liquid nitrogen thanks to Dummy," Bruce choked out after putting down the toast to trade it for a handful of blueberries, hoping that their juices would be enough to get the cold and bitter sensation out of his mouth. He threw them in and slowly chewed to wash out the other taste. "Oh and apparently the blueberries are safe. Unless it's a slow acting poison. In which case, I'm screwed."

Tony groaned feeling the man in his arms sit up. Scratching his head he sat up to look at the mess of food Dummy had made. He sighed and grabbed the extra dirty martini on the tray and sucked it down. Hearing the man's words he laughed, "I promise you, Dummy has no access to slow acting poisons, only instant."

Quickly he tossed a handful of blueberries in his mouth, he then looked down at his nude figure and smiled remembering last night._ Bruce had moaned, and yelped, and frankly made the sexiest noises I've ever heard. And I had finally gotten to see Bruce naked, thinking of that now... _

He put an arm around the man's waist and kissed him the man passionately, sure that his lips probably tasted of the martini and blueberries he had just ingested. As he kissed him, the hand that was around the man's waist moved slowly down pushing the covers away. He had waited patiently to get his private showing, and frankly he wanted a chance to just sit and enjoy it. Rather than take action with it and have to watch the man's heart rate.

Thus the surprise attack that Banner was waiting for commenced except, he had already settled when Tony started to lock his lips to his own, his tongue invading Bruce's mouth. The nice jump scare caused the beeping on his watch to commence, but started to slow once he began to accept the kiss. He couldn't help but moan as Stark took control and even pushed him down onto the bed. The taste of alcohol was very evident, but Bruce didn't mind too much. Not being much of a drinker, he could still enjoy the blueberry taste mixed in it. Becoming more apparent as the distraction eased up, he could feel the brisk cool morning air around his groin once Stark had moved the bedding.  
Bruce managed to get Stark off of him so he could catch his breath, the beeping from his monitor finally dying down. After all that had happened last night, he couldn't believe that the first thing the other man would do the morning after was try to have another fiasco. _He's insane, _Bruce started laughing softly while laying down on the bed, using his shackle-free arm to cover his eyes.  
"You wake me up this early for your own personal death wish. Mr. Stark, either you're insane, or you're just trying to tempt me," Bruce stated in between laughing fits.

Thought he was disappointed to have their make-out session interrupted, but now he had a chance to take in the sight. It was hard to enjoy just the view of someone when you're already in the process of foreplay. This proved to be very worth, not making out with the man at the moment. His eyes scanned the man's body taking extra time on the beautiful hickies he had left on the man's body. "After all that and you're still calling me Mr. Stark? Kinky. Can't I be both insane _and _trying to tempt you?"  
Though Tony would prefer to sit in bed and play, there was a lot of work to do still. If he finished up the rooms today, then he'd be able to send out a memo to the other Avengers that their rooms were ready when they wanted them. Tony got out the bed and stretched. "Well, though I'd quite enjoy to see how death by good morning sex would turn out, we have a lot of work to do and I need to call Happy to pick us up some actual food."  
Tony would have to check up on how his company was doing. Usually Pepper handled it all, but considering she took a vacation for now, he'd have to do it himself. Gamma radiation research didn't just fund itself. "Also today, I'm having JARVIS scan you for measurements so we can order you some clothes that actually fit, not that I don't enjoy seeing you in mine, I'd just prefer it be a choice for you."

"Well the first would explain the later," he said defeated, giving a shrug while he was still under the man. Tony finally released him from his position and he got up to finally clothe himself. As much as he loved waking up half naked, being fully naked in front of someone he knew pretty intimately still felt awkward. He found a pair of purple plaid boxers from his bag and threw them on. As long as he had something to cover his nether regions of Tony's hungry eyes, less likely to have himself scrutinized and he felt a lot better from it.  
He walked back over to where the food was left and took some more blueberries to pop in his mouth. "I think you enjoy your near death experiences too much," Bruce said shaking his head. Tossing another blueberry in his mouth he also added, "I can live off of this." Not wanting to trouble the man further.  
Bruce sighed at the prospect of getting more clothes from Tony. The man had already given him an entire wardrobe, a place to stay, a place to work, and someone to love him. It already seemed like too much. "You really don't have to get me anything else. You already got me some perfectly acceptable clothes," he mentioned pointing to the bag sitting in the corner of the room.

"What can I say, near death experiences make life interesting," he said as he pulled a tee shirt over his head. Like always the arc reactor's glow could be seen through the fabric. It frustrated him a bit, unlike Bruce his weakness was easily seen through most his clothes. "Don't be ridiculous, today we're not going to be taking an extended break, you should be well fueled. JARVIS please dial Happy."  
"Yes, sir." A sound of dialing occurred then a ringing. Eventually the man picked up the phone.  
"Happy, I'm going to need you to pick up two of the usual for breakfast and what ever you would like. Vacation's over buddy, I need you to run some errands." After a few exchanged goodbyes they hung up and Tony looked at the other man. "You might want to get dressed, I'm not too sure Happy knows about us, and seeing you in your boxers probably wouldn't be the best way to find out."  
_I also would prefer to share the view of your body with as little people as possible. _He looked over at the man's small bag of clothes and called up to the ceiling "JARVIS please scan Dr. Banner for his sizes and allow him to order whatever he likes, get ten of anything he orders in different colors. Make sure he has dress clothes as well please."  
"Yes, sir. Designer?"  
"Of course. Sorry big guy, but I know if I leave you to this all alone you'll just order one or two things." Going over to the man he placed his hands on the Bruce's shoulders. "It's _okay _to have some extra things, I promise you I can afford it. If you want to repay me, then let me use a sexy picture of you as my screensaver and or background."  
With that he gave a slap to the man's ass and left the room. "You can give me an answer while we work, you gotta get dressed."

With one swift swoop Stark had smashed all of the doctor's morals and he was left there gawking at the wall with an utterly horrified face. He didn't need any more clothes, the ones he had were perfect as is. Having an onslaught of the same outfit, which was probably going to be expensive as hell knowing the playboy, was just too much. The picture was another entity. The fact that Stark was going to get him dressed up as nice as a playboy bunny was enough to make him go into cardiac arrest. And to top it off, Stark just claimed his ass like there was no tomorrow.  
_What in the hell have you gotten yourself into...?_ he asked himself in a daze, staring at a wall. His entire life flipped upside down by a single man, flipped around again. The other guy did a sufficient job throwing off his natural order the first time.  
"Shall I begin the scan, sir?" JARVIS said over head after Stark had left.  
"Only if you must. Tell me, how _do _you tolerate him?" Banner asked after a groan of defeat.  
"Sir, I'm programed this way. I do believe some of his methods are...unorthodox to say the least."  
"Tell me about it," Bruce mumbled as a red scanner passed over his body. Feeling slightly uncomfortable that he was exposed yet again and this time to a machine, none the less.  
"Scan complete. Which style would you like to choose from?" JARVIS asked.  
"Anything, I don't particularly care as long as it's a dress shirt and pants. And only one! Please only one. I'm going to feel guilty enough as it is getting ten of the same thing. If possible, make it an extra size up," Bruce practically begged to the automated system for.  
"Of course, sir." JARVIS said before terminating the conversation.  
After the AI turned off, Bruce let out another groan of frustration. He's going to have to get used to Tony pampering him and frankly, he didn't think he could. Bruce was still adjusting to the Tower, but he was getting more accustomed to the high tech devices, living space, food, JARVIS, etc. Tony's warning to get dressed hit his mind as well. With all the fun and games of the previous night, it would also be a good idea to shower.  
Bruce grabbed whatever clothes he found on top of his duffle bag and threw them on a towel rack in the bathroom. He also passed by his reflection in the mirror. For once he looked well rested and with a sufficient amount of stubble to his face. Looking lower, he came across two fairly large sized bruises on his neck. _Great...gonna have to hide that for a while, _he thought to himself as he searched for equipment to shave with.

Searching of the numerous cabinets in the room, he finally found what he was looking for and went to work. It didn't take him long and soon enough he was in the shower and smelling fresher than ever. He toweled off enough so that his hair wasn't as damp as normal and he started to get dressed. Exiting the bathroom and his room, he was still buttoning up his shirt from about chest length up when he ran into who he presumed to be Happy out in the lounge.

"Oh hello, um... I'm Dr. Bruce Banner," he said after he buttoned up the rest of his shirt. Making sure to button the top quickly, there was some evidence of last night on him and he wasn't really willing to show it off yet, he politely gave his hand like he would for a normal greeting. Happy probably didn't know who he really was and that made him feel slightly more comfortable around him knowing that.

Happy looked up from the table where he had placed the food. He had never seen a _man _walking out of one of Tony's bedroom, especially not while still dressing with large hickies on his neck. Extending his hand he took the other man's and shook it. "Uh, Nice to meet you Dr. Banner, I'm Happy Hogan. I'm Mr. Stark's...errand boy I guess you could say."

"Oh come on Happy, at least call yourself an errand man," Tony walked out his room walking over to the man to give him a firm friendly handshake. Of all the people who worked for, with the exception of Pepper, Happy was closest to being a friend. He smiled, walked over to his lover and put an arm around Bruce's waist. "Sorry, I wasn't out in time to introduce you two, but I'm glad you were able to handle that on your own."

Tony looked at Bruce and gave a large smile at the marks he had made, looking at Happy's face it wasn't hard to tell that he hadn't known about Bruce living here, let alone being Tony's lover. "Stark Tower is going to become home base for the Avengers, therefore security here will be increased. And I'm not sure I'll be able to give you the passcodes. So I'll just have to tell JARVIS when you're coming. This isn't because I don't trust you; it's just an international security thing."

Happy listened, his eyes on Tony's hand that was resting on the doctor's waist. When the man had finished he looked up at him. "I understand, it's not much of a problem since the only time I come here unannounced is when you're extra late to a press conference or a meeting. But Pepper has been taking care of tha-"

Happy stop realizing he might be putting Stark in a tough position. It was time to just address the elephant in the room. He sighed pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. "Does Pepper know that not only are you sleeping around again, but you're sleeping with guys now?"

"Guy. Singular. I'm not sleeping around, it's exclusive and yes she knows. It's why she's on vacation now, which leads me to the next order of business. I need you to go to the office and bring me all the memos Pepper left." Tony really didn't appreciate Happy saying this in front of Bruce. He had enough issues with keeping Bruce's trust in his ability to stay faithful without Happy making assumptions.

"Right. Sorry. I'll get right on that." Happy left with that hoping he didn't cause too much damage.

"Sorry bout that big guy," he said sitting down at the table to enjoy the breakfast Happy had brought them. "For a while Happy was a bit of a wing man and well, when Pepper and I became a bit more serious he was proud of me so I guess it was a bit of a shock."

Banner was pretty tolerant being with the new man until the conversation started going downhill. It made him extremely uncomfortable when Tony's ethics had been brought into question. Tony sleeping around didn't bother Bruce, but him cheating on Pepper for him bothered the scientist greatly. He didn't know her, but felt like it would be smarter for Tony to keep her rather than him. The hand on his waist made the doctor all the more pained, shifting in place, trying to see if there was a way he could just go do his work and he could be ignored.

When Tony finally pulled away, Bruce was able to regain himself slightly. This was much more than what he was used to. Drama wasn't really his thing, or at least he tried to make sure it wasn't. He sat down at the opposite end of the table with his own meal. Not that he wanted it anymore; his stomach had felt like it had sunken in with the dreary topic at hand. None the less, he still felt obligated to accompany Tony while he ate.

The physicist nodded silently to Stark's last statement, keeping his head down to avoid being seen. He distracted himself with his hands as he played with them on the table, trying to do anything to keep his mind away from the prospect that he stole a happy relationship away from someone else.

_You really don't deserve this, Banner..._

Tony watched the man as he ate. This was just like every other time Pepper or Tony's sleeping around was mentioned. He just didn't know which it was. Every time the man shut him out like this it hurt Tony. _Why can't he just talk to me? I thought we were past this stage. Tony you know if you're going to fix this you're going to have to stop avoiding the fight and confront him on this one. _

"Bruce...what's wrong? You're spacing out, you're avoiding eye contact, and amazingly you're way quieter than usual." Tony reached across the table placing a hand over Bruce's. "Is it because he mentioned my sleeping around? I thought we got past that. I promised to be exclusive to you and take it as slow as you need. Granted we didn't take it very slow last night, but I thought that was a mutual decision."

Seeing no response from the other man he realized what it was. "It's because of Pepper isn't it? Bruce it's not your fault. _I _made bad choices, and you had no idea about her. There's nothing you could have done short of rejecting me for no reason-since you felt the same and didn't know about her-and that would have just hurt the both of us more. Say something."

Bruce knew he couldn't ignore Tony's request any longer. It hurt him to cause this much distress, but he was just trying to cope with himself at the moment. He let out a long sigh and finally started to talk.

"I-I know, Tony... I'm sorry. It's just...I really feel like I don't deserve this. Not any of this. Miss Potts had something for her and well...I took that away and I shouldn't have..." he said meekly. Tony's hand was warm and comforting, making the topic only feel that much more painful to the doctor.

Tony listened patiently a bit frustrated by the man's guilt. Still his kindness was one of the reasons Tony loved the man so much. It was a double-edged sword and right now that sword was slashing through his heart. "Bruce, you took nothing away, and even if you hadn't accepted my affections, I wouldn't have been able to continue a relationship with her. Once I accepted the fact I have feelings for you, there was no going back to her. It just wouldn't be fair, and she deserves someone that can take care of her not only financially, but emotionally too."

Tony placed his other hand on top of the pile of fingers as well, trying to comfort the man. He had loved Pepper, but it just wasn't something that could have lasted. She expected him to be responsible, loving, and more normal. She probably wanted him to stop being Iron Man at some points. Pepper just couldn't accept his lifestyle for what it was: living in the moment. "Bruce, I understand you feel bad, but you've got to stop beating yourself up about this. We love each other, and I'm sure once she cools down, Pepper will say she's happy for us and start trying to be your best friend so you two can trash talk me."

Bruce nodded understandingly. He knew all of this and accepted it, yet his mind was just holding him back. Anything and everything he could have possibly wanted was taken away after the incident and his mindset was bent on destroying everything possible that would allow for the other guy to come out. Even before then, life had been cruel. It had just always been safer while he was detached from others. Trying to be close to someone and to love again, it was truly a mind breaking task.

"I-I've just always...always felt like a monster...Hell...Even you said I was...I'm just so so sorry," he mumbled, his frustration with himself showing. A pained look on his face was clearly visible when he looked up at Tony with watery eyes. Memories of his father coming back, how the world was against him, everyone beating the term 'monster' into his mind.

Tony looked at the man's face and all he saw was pain. Hearing his words, he had a feeling this went deeper than Pepper, probably deeper than the Hulk. Slowly, Tony got up from his seat to walk to the man's side. "I'm sorry I said that. It was...just pure emotion. I was hurt, very hurt, and I just wanted to hurt you just as much. You are in no shape or form a monster, and you owe no one an apology."

It hurt Tony that he knew so little about Bruce's past. Other than the fact he was researching Gamma radiation and can no turn into a giant green rage monster because of an accident. Taking Bruce's hand, he pulled the other man up and led him to the couch. He plopped down and pulled the man against his chest. "I know nothing about you before the accident. I want you to tell me about your past. I want to know the reason behind your pained eyes. I also want to know who I have to try to live up to from your past."

Without any objections, Bruce let Tony lead him away. He could feel everything boiling inside of him, everything that had been kept away for so long. What he had never disclosed to anyone. Emotions, feelings, and memories were all sinking to the bottom of his stomach. Being placed on Tony's warm chest helped him relax slightly. Even though his feelings for everything were whirling in his head at the moment, he knew for certain that Tony at least made him feel safe.

It was several minutes later before Banner could begin to speak. All the thoughts swirling in his head couldn't aid him if he couldn't collect them to begin with. He rested his eyes and watched his breathing. _Control yourself…you can handle this…,_ he said to himself in the chaos of his mind. After a long drawn out breath, the man began.

"Please forgive me if I…inadequately describe… myself," he paused. "When I was a kid, a little kid, I had a wonderful and loving mother. Her name was Rebecca and well, she loved me very much and I returned the favour. My father…Brian…he was an alcoholic and he had some…slight anger problems. The simple thing for him was that he never really wanted me… He thought I was a monster. A monster he created… He worked at a nuclear energy plant on trying to create clean energy like you. However, he thought that the radiation off of him had…changed me, mutated me, gave me have my high intelligence. Just more reasons for why he believed me a monster." Every time the word 'monster' uttered Bruce's lips a shudder would run down his spine. Something that Stark most definitely felt with the man so close to him.

"Well he didn't take kindly to my mother giving her affection to me. It led to me being abused. Physically and verbally. Of course, mother wasn't going to sit by to let him go through with it…So it just lead to her getting the same treatment…After years of that going on, one day mother decides to leave. She was going to take me with me. It was night and we were both packing the car, but…father had found us out. He didn't like that…He…he smashed her skull into the pavement, right in front of me, killing her…," Bruce was biting his lip at the thought, tears escaping his eyes finally. He waited for a moment before continuing, to make sure he wouldn't choke up half way through again.

"He threatened me. Scared me into lying in court about all the abuse that went on at home…I complied. I was terrified. I said there was no abuse, that mother was trying to run away with no reason. He…escaped conviction due to lack of evidence in the trial…He was later arrested for when he drunkenly admitted to threatening me to get around the law and placed in a mental institution. It didn't leave me much to be happy for. I was in a lot of pain and I often lashed out. I lived with my aunt, went to school and got bullied endlessly. I was just so very insecure and I was horrible at making friends. That lasted until college…

"Eventually my father got out of the mental institute and I reluctantly took him in. They believed him to be fit to reintegrated into society…We visited my mother's grave on the anniversary of her death. It was dark and stormy and w-we got into a fight…It was just words at first and then it got physical…A-And…," Bruce was panting heavily. This was something he was hiding from himself even. It was physically hurting him to remember. Clenching his abdomen and tried to continue after fighting with himself. "I…I killed him…I just knocked him over and he fell onto my mother's grave…It killed him…I-I always told myself that he just walked away after our fight…That he was killed by some random mugger or thief…I-I couldn't deal with this…I've never told anyone…"

Bruce was frozen in Stark's arms. Everything free. It hurt so much to remember, but there was someone else to hold his pain now. Grabbing Tony's shirt he cried yet again into the man. Sobbing, uncaring of how he looked. His body was in so much pain. Every bruise he had gotten from his father or bullies felt like they were burning on his skin. But the arms of Tony wrapping around him started to sooth him, making the pain go away.

At first he thought Bruce wasn't going to answer, since the man had waited a few minutes, but when the man began Tony realized there was probably a reason Bruce hadn't told him of his past. Tony listened to the story of his lover's life, absorbing in every detail. Every time Bruce shivered with the word 'monster' Tony gave the man a small squeeze, trying to reassure the man and let him know he was safe.

Tony's eyes developed a glossy look as he listened. Sure his dad had been, what Tony assumed up until about a year ago, an uncaring ass, whose happiest day was when he sent his son off to boarding school. His father was cold, but he never beat him. He never beat his mother, and he never verbally abused either of them. Compared to Bruce's father, Howard Stark was the model dad.

How could a man murder his wife right in front of their child? To traumatize a child like that, then force him to lie to keep you from going to jail. Tony felt anger mixing with his sympathy for Bruce. There was no excuse to be that awful of a father, of a person! It hurt his heart to hear that the scientist in his arms had to go through all this.

Tony had to suppress a sound when Bruce compared him to his father. Working to find clean energy wasn't the only thing he and his father had in common. They were both alcoholics. No wonder Bruce had said something when he first came. Alcoholics probably didn't bring back the best of memories for the man. It was one thing for Tony to make that connection is his mind, but when Bruce had directly said 'like you' it killed a little bit of Tony on the inside. _Calm down. He doesn't mean it like that Tony. He's not implying you're abusive. Nor is he trying to roundabout tell you that he fears you might become abusive._

Stark was surprised to hear Bruce had taken in his father after all that. He really must have a heart of gold, because had it been Tony he would have beat him every single day until he died. He would have made him feel every ounce of pain that he had to for all those years. But Bruce was better than that, or so Tony thought.

_Bruce killed someone? Not the other guy, but Bruce? My Bruce? How? Not my gentle kind Bruce. He couldn't have killed anyone, especially not his own father. _He thought this to himself, before he realized, this wasn't something Bruce had consciously did. And it wasn't like the man didn't deserve it. There were few people Tony thought deserved to die, but Brian Banner was the worst person he had ever heard of, even worse than Loki.

Tony held the man tightly as he felt the warm salty tears beginning to soak through his shirt. He stroked his hair gently, not bothering to try and get the man to calm down. He didn't ssh the man, he didn't tell him to man up, and he most definitely didn't tell him not let his tears fall.

"Bruce," he said gently "You are the strongest man I have ever met. You have suffered through a hard life and you still turned out to be a very successful, very kind man. You took your father in after he abused you all your life. You two got into a fight and stood up for yourself and your mother, and happened to have made a mistake. The mistake may have rid the world of an evil man, but it was a mistake nonetheless. You have more than made up for that mistake, so forgive yourself and enjoy life. No one deserves to be put in that situation, and frankly I think you handled it a lot better than anyone else really could have. You are too wonderful a person to keep dwelling on this."

Tony prayed his words were helping the man more than hurting him. He didn't expect his words to make the man instantly forgive himself, nor did he think he would instantly be able to get over a trauma that came from most the man's life. However, he hoped these words were enough for Bruce to know, that even though he had suffered, and even though he had committed such an act, Tony thought no less of him, if anything he thought more of him. He wanted to convey through his body language, that Bruce was welcome to cry into his chest anytime he wanted, and he'd always be there to talk. Most of all Tony wanted Bruce to know he no longer had to suffer alone. He no longer had laugh alone, cry alone, or fight alone. Bruce now had Tony to share the burden of life with.

Alarms from the watch on Bruce's wrist had gone off. This was more emotional than he's ever been before and his heart was racing from having to go through it all again. Not just to himself, but to another. Someone who cared for him. That thought alone both hurt and soothed the man. He brushed back the tears from his eyes and started to breath normally again. Sitting up he stared off into the distance, not really observing anything, and the ringing from the watch ceasing. Just feeling defeated at long last, resting in some sort of state of peace.

"I-it was an accident...I didn't mean to kill him...Sometimes I'd have visions of him. Even the other guy would too, where the man was taunting us both. I couldn't handle everything at a point...The visions, the incident, the monsters, all the running...I couldn't take it. I wanted an end. A way out...I bought a revolver and tried to end everything. I thought for a moment, one _blissful_ moment, I could be at peace when that bullet went through my mouth and started to tear away into my skull...And then I woke up, half naked like usual, full of regret and misery. I felt pathetic...But that's when I decided I had to help people. It was something I could do properly and something to take my mind off of everything...I still have the gun. It's in my bag in the other room. It's just...reassurance to keep through with everything. Like things could get better...But they have," he whispered the last line towards the Avengers and especially to Tony. For taking him in and loving him like no one else has dared to do. He took another heavy breath to make sure his heart wouldn't start up again.

"I later went back to his grave. I...I did owe my life to the man. He really did make me who I am today...," Bruce finished while gripping his knees with both hands. His face and eyes were red from all the crying. There was a mark on his lip from biting down too hard as well. But through all the physical exhaustion, for once, his mind wasn't racing. It wasn't trying to beat twenty different things at him at once. Quiet at last. It felt amazing.

Tony remembered when Bruce had first mentioned trying to commit suicide, at that moment in time it hadn't really sunk in just how much Bruce wanted to die. He had figured the man had just been tired of being Hulk and snapped one day, now he saw it was a long coming thing. All the suffering he had been through, pain, abuse, and most of the guilt. The guilt was definitely what made the man snap. "You really are an amazing person. You faced it head on and you even find the strength to be grateful to that man."

Tony kissed Bruce's forehead gently. He knew this was probably an emotional overload for him. This was probably the first time Bruce had ever told anyone about murdering his father. If Bruce had never become the other guy, he'd be dead right now. That or in prison. It was odd, but Tony was beginning to think that the other guy was more of a blessing than a curse.

Tony's kiss felt true acceptance, pure and honest acceptance. It only hurt for it had taken so many years to be able to feel anything like that before. Everything felt easier now. His mind wasn't yelling at him to run away, to go and lock himself in his room. To be quiet and let everything pass around him. He could sit there, like himself, with the man he finally accepted he loved. He couldn't just bare his heart and soul to just anyone, and Tony Stark wasn't just an ordinary man.

Another heavy breath came in and out as Bruce closed his eyes. Without permission, he even laced his hand with that of Tony's and gave it a squeeze. He was really grateful for the man to be with him right there to listen and to care. It made Bruce feel like he was somewhere in a state of easiness.

"Thank you, Tony."

Tony was very surprised that the man had laced their fingers together. Of all the things they'd done, holding hands was not one of them. It was also a rare occasion that Bruce didn't ask permission when it came to touching Tony. Tony gave the man a squeeze right back. "Don't mention it."

He whispered this gently; scared the man might break if he was too straight forward. "Hey, what do you say we blow off construction today, and pop in a movie or something? No reason to over work ourselves, especially since the others won't be back here for a while anyway."

Bruce nodded. Even after an actual night's sleep, the whole letting everything out wore him down greatly. Admittedly, he did want to crawl in bed and lay down for a few hours. Just enjoy the quietness, and rest. But getting to lean on Tony's shoulder and just take a nap for an hour or two would be better than working with the complicated electrical system.

"So what movie you want to watch?" the physicist asked actually able to turn to the other man finally. A faint smile could be made out on his face. He didn't particularly care what they were going to watch. Feeling like he had been hit by a truck, he'd probably just pass out a few minutes after it started anyways, so might as well let Tony choose.

"How bout 'The Woman in Black'? I heard it was an okay movie," he said with a smile. He looked at the man's tear streaked face. It wasn't often the man was able to look Tony directly in the eye, but when he did Tony always took the chance to enjoy it and look him in the eyes. "Or maybe 'The Kite Runner' if you really want to relax. That one always puts me to sleep."

Looking at the man, Tony felt a bit successful. It was rare to be able to get the man to actually smiled. It was odd and a bit off topic, but Tony found himself wondering. "Hey Bruce, are you ticklish?"

"Whichever you feel like," Bruce said rubbing his face with his sleeve for the last time. He had let go of Stark's hand, but had moved closer to the man. When the next question was asked he was caught off guard. People didn't normally touch him, most of the time the purposely avoided him and with good reason.

He pondered the question looking blank faced and answered, "I honestly don't know." It made him feel slightly awkward not knowing such a simple question, but he didn't dwell on it too much. He figured Tony would find the answer himself in a moment or two after that sort of response.

"Oh, okay," he said a bit indifferent. He would test the sensitivity of the man's nerves later, but right now he was sure the last thing Bruce needed was to get riled up again. Besides, an experiment like that was never as effective when the test subject knew it was coming. "JARVIS play 'The Kite Runner' extra-large font for the subtitles."

"Yes, sir. Shall I have Dummy bring you some popcorn?"

"Have him put it in, you pop it. I'd actually like to taste it instead of a burnt mess. Extra butter too please, a marti-Mountain Dew, and a couple glasses of water." Tony decided he could wait to drink when he wasn't in front of Bruce. Bruce's comparison of him to Brian Banner still rang in his ears.

"Yes, sir." Within 5 minutes the popcorn and beverages were brought to them and placed on the coffee table. JARVIS then played the movie with subtitles that were actually readable.

Bruce leaned on Tony's shoulder while the other man was giving commands to his robotic helpers. He was already dozing off when he caught the sudden change in his drink order to JARVIS. It was then he realized his comparison that he had used in his speech and that it must have obviously bothered Tony.

_Shit! _he thought and made himself rise off on Stark. A very worried and apologetic look was written clean on his face.

"Fuck! Tony, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I was talking about the clean energy and it slipped. I didn't mean to offend! Please, your drinking doesn't bother me. It really doesn't! Shit! I'm so so sorry," he brought a hand to his mouth. Banner felt like he was going to be sick. That and possibly have another fit since the last one was so recent.

Tony bit his lip, it was too late to lie and tell Bruce his words hadn't bothered him. The look on the other man's face made it obvious that he was sorry for his words, even though the words intent wasn't to hurt. Tony gave a small smile to the man and pulled him back to his, special spot against Tony's chest. "You know that's the most I've heard you swear at any one time...I forgive you. I know you didn't mean it...It just...It just got to me. I don't want you to ever feel you have to worry about me becoming someone like him."

Tony didn't want Bruce to get riled up and Hulk out, or start crying over something as minor as Tony being a bit sensitive to being compared to Brian Banner. The man next to him looked like he was going to hurl. This was worse than usual, the man just shut down a bit and he was okay, but now he seemed like he was getting physically sick. "Calm down, will ya? I won't get the suit and attack you over it. It was a mistake, and you didn't even make the connection about our drinking habits, that was all me."

"I'm so so sorry Tony...," Bruce said as his insides started to settle. He still felt guilty of his comment. _Can't you think properly? _he thought of all his actions that kept harming the other man with his actions, words, anything and everything that he kept screwing up. Biting his lip, he burrowed into Stark's chest and even wrapped his arm around the other man's waist, clenching onto the fabric when he brought his hand to the other side.

"Bruce, stop apologizing. I'm over it, really. JARVIS, an extra dirty martini too, please. See? I'm over it," he was lying. It still bothered him a bit, but he was never mad at Bruce for his words. He stroked the man's hair gently trying to comfort him. It made Tony feel a lot better that Bruce was laying against him. He knew that as long as Bruce was more relaxed in his arms, or went to his arms to relax, Bruce would never be afraid of him, like he was afraid of his father.

Bruce made a whimpering sort of sound, but decided to go with Tony's judgment. If Tony could accept him for who he was and trust him afterwards, then Bruce could accept and trust him as well. Tony brushing his hair was calming, and the after effects of reliving his past still took toll on him. The movie was playing in the background and he could partially understand the Farsi he picked up in Afghanistan. But it just went in one ear and out the other. He didn't particularly care about what was going on in the background as he slowly closed his eyes and rested on Tony Stark's chest.

Tony was grateful the man had stopped putting up a fight about matter, he had ran out of ideas for how to convince him he was no longer hurt by it. He even sucked down his martini to comfort the man a bit more, and he had to admit, it felt wonderful. Feeling the warm man on his chest, Tony closed his eyes relaxing a bit more. Like he promised he soon fell asleep, his arms wrapped around the man.

"JARVIS, turn off the TV, please."

Bruce had heard the voice before, but couldn't quite match it to the owner. He had just shifted in his sleep and opened his eyes to see Happy across the room holding a stack of papers. It took a moment or two to register who the stranger in the room was, but it got his attention and made him realize he was half way slumped over Stark. Quickly, he pulled himself into and upright and standing position.  
"Excuse me," he said politely and turned his attention back to Stark who seemed like he was in a comma at how he didn't hear Happy nor feel his movements. Banner shook his shoulder to try to get his attention and tentatively started to say, "umm...Tony? Mr. Hogan is back."

Happy looked at the two on the couch. It was a bit surprising to be honest. His boss, the Tony Stark, playboy, was gay and not just gay, he was in an exclusive relationship. Tony couldn't even sustain a proper relationship with Pepper. How was he going to do that with the media harassing him about being gay now? "Um...I got the memos."

Tony woke up only slightly looking at Happy. He looked down, not seeing Bruce he looked to the side a bit disappointed the man wasn't on his chest still. He rubbed the bridge of his nose a bit and looked up at the man again. "Thanks Happy. You can put them on the table. "

"Okay," Happy moved to put the papers on the table. He looked up at Bruce a bit curious. He chewed on his lip a bit, and then finally asked. "How'd you do it? How did you get _the_ Tony Stark to be exclusive? You must be giving it to him like twice a da-"

Tony shot up with a blush on his face. "Happy, stop right there!" Happy closed his mouth. He had never been yelled at by the man. Quite contrary, Tony generally encouraged him and they'd talk about the numerous partners Tony had.

"I'm sorry," he said embarrassed by his own rudeness.

"I-it's okay," Bruce said caught off guard by the forwardness of the question. He reverted to playing with his hands and it felt like he got a blush just as bad as the one Tony had gotten. Like normal, his eyes had gone to advert themselves to anywhere else in the room. But thinking about the question, he came to a conclusion.

"I have no real idea how I did it," he said half serious-half joking, trying to lighten up the mood in the room and for his own amazement.

Tony was surprised Bruce actually answered. That had been incredibly rude and unexpected. It was obvious he was still very upset that Happy had made Bruce uncomfortable again. "He kept me from murdering one of my employees for being very rude."

Happy took that as a sign to leave. "W-well you two have fun. I'm going to go and um, wash all the cars in the garage. "With that he fast walked to the elevator and left.

"Bruce, I'm sorry. I really didn't expect that," Tony stood up and stretched. "He's used to hearing all about my love life, and well, since I stopped he was probably curious about if you were blackmailing me or something."

Tony laughed a bit. If they were going to be awake, they might as well get to work. "I bet I can get the bedrooms done today, and if you get the wiring for the lab done we'll just have to furnish them and they'll be ready for use. The meeting room can wait a bit."

"It's alright," the physicist said a little flustered. He hadn't been expecting it and it was obvious from Stark's hostility to Happy for his actions that he wasn't overly fond he did it. But Bruce was okay. The world wasn't falling apart anymore. Everything he did didn't feel agonizing. There was some comfort, and it came from Tony.

"Sounds like a plan," Bruce said giving a small smile. Feeling well rested now, and emotionally drained, he could get to work. "Bet I'll beat you to it," he gave a small snicker and waited for the elevator to return.


	6. Chapter 6 Spice of Life

**Hello everyone! Gonna give two chapters today since I was bad at my promise cause I was lazy sorry :( Oh! And feel free to leave you comments guys! It's encouraging and my rp buddy was so sad not to get any for the last chapter. Love you all!**

**Roped off the sexy bits like last time so if you want to skip then skip.**

**MARVEL AND IT'S CHARACTERS AND NOT OWNED BY US. WE JUST LOVE THEM DEARLY.**

Chapter 6 - Spice of Life  
Working on Avengers Tower had been an enjoyable experience for Bruce. Not only did Banner get to learn about some new technology and tinker with it during his stay, but he also got to meet someone who actually cared for him. He and Tony had finished building the upper three  
floors of the tower to accommodate those of the Avengers in less than a week. Another week later all of the rooms for the new occupants, which was located on the second floor of the top three, were furnished and ready to go. The uppermost floor was made into the meeting room for any planning or surveillance of any trouble in the world was necessary and the bottommost a whole new gamma radiation lab that Stark spared no expense on.

However, the 'grand opening' of the Tower wasn't made available until a month after the reconstruction had begun. Stark had thought it best to allow Bruce some time to adjust to living in the conditions of the place and, truthfully, the doctor appreciated it. The original fast paced relationship had shown that they needed to ease into everything a lot slower than even Banner had planned. After pouring his heart out to Tony, Bruce needed some time just to get used to having someone there for him. He really did appreciate Tony and it allowed for his own quiet love to bloom more.

Which it did. Bruce had gotten more comfortable with Tony, even within the first week. Gradually and lovingly, Stark had gotten the doctor to open up and now was the time that they were to assemble the Avengers. The genius billionaire even had welcome gifts: Avenger ID cards that could be used as locators and to call the other members if push comes to shove.

The two waited in the lobby of the Tower, they had previously had made contact with all the others to invite them to the little family of sorts, on the day were the all the Avengers will assemble for the first time after the invasion of the Chitauri. Bruce was fidgeting his hands nervously, a habit he couldn't give up for the life of him, while he stood by the side of Tony Stark.

Tony put a hand on top of the other man's. He knew the man would never be able to break the habit, but he still felt the need to try and stop it a bit when it arose in this kind of situation. "Bruce, don't be so nervous. They're our teammates; it's not some random executive coming to visit. There's nothing to worry about."

During this time he and Banner had become a lot closer. Banner seemed more comfortable around him, and more willing to open up...a little more willing to open up. They hadn't tried to have intercourse again since the last time, but they had gone on more dates and Tony slept in Bruce's room almost every night.

Tony purposefully didn't try to lead the man to his bedroom. While they worked on the other floors of the tower, he had secretly been working on making his Hulk-proof bedroom. He decided to unveil it to Bruce tonight, once everybody had gone to bed. It made his heart speed up a bit to think of the man's reaction when he asked him to move into his bedroom. It was stupid to worry, considering they lived together and Tony practically lived in the guest room with Bruce, but he was worried.

When Tony turned from speaking to his lover he saw a tall sandy blonde man walking toward them. He removed his hand from on top of Bruce's only to shake the patriotic Avenger's. "Hey, Cap. Welcome to Avenger Tower. I'll give you and everyone else the grand tour when they all arrive."

"Thank you," Steve said politely as he shook the man's hand. He held out his hand to Bruce. "Dr. Banner, good to see you again."

Steve noticed how Tony's hand had been on top of Bruce's and their close proximity. _Well that's quite odd. Why are they so close? You're just reading too much into it. They have probably established certain habits considering how much they work together. Men these days seem to stand much closer to each other..._

Bruce shook Steve's hand as nervously as he had the day he met him on the helicarrier. Being polite, he managed a slight smile along with a nod. Of course the doctor maintained his own 'no eye contact rule', another habit that Stark was trying to get him out of.

"Good to see you too, Mr. Rog-," Bruce was cut off by a loud banging of the doors. Bursting through the front entrance as if Valhalla, the God of Thunder thudded into the room.

"FRIENDS!" he boomed, "IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG! I AM OVERJOYED TO SEE ALL OF YOUR FACES YET AGAIN FOR THE PROSPECTS OF BATTLE!" Thor pulled all three of the men in the room into a giant bear hug. "DO TELL OF ME, WHERE ARE THE OTHERS? THE EYES OF THE HAWK AND THE WIDOW OF BLACK?"

Banner could barely breathe being crushed in between three other, fairly large sized, men. Thus, his inability to breath and the closeness of too many people at once, started to make the ever annoying beeping of his watch go off. Slowly, but surely.

As if on cue, Natasha followed along by Clint walk in on the love fest in the middle of the room. Barton immediately started to laugh his ass off at seeing all the men in the room get choked down by the Asgardian.

"Oh god! I'm glad we're late Tasha, I don't think I could handle all that," he managed to say after a good laughing hiatus.

"Sorry to break up the sausage fest, but I would enjoy finding out how my air deprived teammates are. Tony, Bruce, Steve. Thor." She smiled and nodded at each of them as she said their names. "I must admit Clint, you were right. Taking our time was a better idea, from now on we should always be fashionably late."

Once released by the large man, and Tony's breath came back, he walked over to Clint and Natasha giving them their friendly handshakes. It was good to see the group's assassins again. Cap walked over to the two and did the same shaking their hands. "Mr. Stark was going to give us our grand tour."

"Oh? A grand tour of Stark Tower? Well don't I feel special," the woman said sarcastically. She still felt Tony was the biggest narcissist she had ever met, but he was at least a little better since having a semi-stable relationship with Pepper.

"Not Stark Tower," Tony said with a smile, "Avengers Tower. This your home too now."

"Well lets get to it, Shell Head," Clint had commented after Stark had took his hand and moved to accept Steve's as well. Once Banner had caught his breath back up to par, and allowed time for the small heart monitor on his wrist to cease its beeping, he too went over to greet the others.  
"I FEEL MOST HONOURED BY YOUR MIDGARDIAN LODGINGS. I AM SURE IT WILL BE AS 'SPECIAL' AS THE WIDOW OF BLACK FORETELLS," Thor once again boomed over the crowd, obvious excitement written on his face.  
After tentatively shaking hands with all the other Avengers, Bruce went back to Tony's side. It was time for the welcoming gift and he didn't want Stark to get too worked up about showing everything off first that he didn't hand them out. "Um Tony? Don't you want to distribute something right now?" Bruce said quietly to remind Stark, but also so the others didn't have to hear.

"Oh right! Thanks big guy. We have prepared special welcome baskets for you. It was Bruce's idea just so you know." He handed each of them their personalized baskets. "Inside these baskets are not only tasty treats, but Avengers IDs that can act as locators and communicators if push comes to shove.  
Steve looked at his picture, in it he was in full uniform, except for his mask being gone. It didn't do him a lot of justice, but he was sure Tony did that on purpose. Even though the gift was a bit annoying, he was still grateful the men had went through the trouble of making it. "Thank you. I'll be sure to keep it on me. "  
Natasha looked at it a bit annoyed when she saw she had long hair in it. This was taken while she was at Stark's house in Malibu. "When did you take this picture?" She asked a bit hostile.  
"When you had me on lock down. You did think I'd have a sexy ass girl holding me hostage in my house and not photograph her did you?" Tony then realized his words and gave Bruce and apologetic look. He hoped he hadn't made the man feel insecure, like he should watch him around Black Widow.

"HA!" Thor let out a hearty laugh just fascinated by the prospect of getting a radio for a gift. It was also noticed that his picture was used from when he was on the helicarrier briefly, "THIS...TECHNOLOGY OF YOURS. SURELY IT WILL COME USEFUL IN THE FUTURE WHERE BATTLE IS EMINENT. AND BLESSED BEHOLD! POPTARTS! I MUST THANK YOU SIRS."

Banner nodded his head in appreciation for Rogers and Thor. They looked pretty pleased by the gift and he was glad to help out in any way he could for the team. Which was enough to put a small smile on his face again, but still he couldn't help but go back to playing with his hands. His card was already tucked in his pocket. It was also modified to scan his heart rate and gamma radiation signature so even if he was way, people could monitor whether or not he had Hulked out. That was of course, the path of destruction leading to him wasn't found first. He and Stark had made sure to take some extra time to put in all the snazzy features for him. Then the doctor's attention was turned towards Hawkeye once he began to shout.

"Oh come on!" Barton looked ready to punch Stark, "why did you use the picture of me unconscious after Natasha recalibrated me? Also bird seed! Seriously? The hell is this?"

"Because unlike everybody else, I had no down time to have JARVIS snap a pic or two." Tony laughed a bit as he brushed off the man's anger. He led them to the elevator as he began to talk. He pulled out his mobile device so a holographic map may be shone. "There are ninety three floors in the Tower, your bedrooms are on the ninetieth floor which is where we'll be getting off."

He led them to their rooms showing them each the features he had specially designed; he saved Hawkeye's for last. "And this is Hawkeye's room. Hope you like it"

Captain America had thoroughly enjoyed his room. He hadn't expected Tony to so perfectly match his personality. The display of Phil's cards, were a nice touch. He actually had to take a moment before catching up with the rest of the group.

Natasha was indifferent towards her room. It seemed very comfortable, and it did match her name, but it was just a room. Though it did impress her all the places Tony had installed gun holsters for her to hide her weapons. She was just grateful he didn't do anything stupid.

Banner bobbed along, trying to keep up with everyone else just like Tony was. He was glad their hard work had been put to good use and that everyone was enjoying it. Well, everyone but Hawkeye would probably. But a good laugh didn't do anyone any harm.

Thor's room was a replica of his sleeping quarters back in Asgard. Gold walls with a massive bed in the middle fit for a king. The god beamed as he saw his home at the Tower. "TIS MARVELOUS!"

Last but not least was Hawkeye's room, complete with an actual nest, twigs and all. The bed went down into the mass of twigs and was fairly roomy. The 'nest' was hanging above the ground, with a rope to the side so that he could climb into it. "What the actual fuck Stark? I hope you know this means I have to make an arrow with your name on it Shell Head!" Clint raged, but finally decided to test out the bed. He squatted on his nest, getting a good view from above. An easy shot as soon as Stark peaked his head through the opening. Surprisingly enough, the bed was incredibly soft and the hawk was huddled into his knees enjoying himself. "Not bad," he mumbled to himself, making sure no one heard him.

Banner who had actually known about the plan laughed as soon as he heard the screaming down the hall. When he and Thor caught up, Thor stopped in front of the room and gave a hearty laugh. "HAHAHA! MAN OF IRON AND SON OF BANNER, THOU ART TRULY GOOD AT THE ART OF TOM FOOLERY."

Tony laughed loudly as the man flipped his shit. That was a better response then he had expected. "Clint if any of your arrows have my name on it, it'll because I made it." He said very snarky.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh. It was just such an easy prank that she really had never thought of doing. Looking at the height of the bed she decided if she and him were to sleep together it'd be in her bed. The design really didn't allow for intimacy. She could see it now. She and Clint getting into a heavy make-out session and then having to stop all contact to climb up a fucking rope. Not to mention she wasn't entirely sure the bed could handle her and Clint's activities when they got hot during a spar.

Even Rogers chuckled a bit as he looked at the nest. It really did seem to suit the man. He really burst out laughing when the man squatted in it. It looked like a bird sitting on eggs and it was fucking hilarious. Tony had for once done a tasteful prank.

"Well if you're all marveling at your bedrooms, I still have to show you the meeting room." The meeting room was something Tony was truly proud of. It had all the newest technology and had the Avengers emblem on everything, but the personalized chairs which he had set up so he and Bruce could sit next to each other. Bruce still got nervous a lot, and Tony wanted to make sure he was next to the man to comfort him if need be.

"You all suck! I hope you know that!" Barton yelled from the top of his nest before jumping down to follow the rest of them. Thor gave him a pat on the back for being a good sport, but that only knocked the breath out of him and sent him flying towards the nearest wall which in turn caused Thor to roar again.

Bruce and Stark lead the way back to the elevator to go to the top floor. Bruce could see that Tony was pretty excited about showing off to everyone. They had been using most of their time the first week to make sure everything would be perfect and their efforts showed. While Stark was giddy, Banner was still tense with everyone there, shown by him playing with his hands and making sure that he didn't look at anyone directly. Even if they were his teammates, there was just more he was going to have to learn to deal with.

"Welcome to the Avengers meeting room. Each of you has personalized chairs, a table with holographic capabilities, a bar that serves not only alcohol but many kinds of sodas juices and milk, and an alarm the monitors for world crises." The chairs were very personalized. Each chair was designed to match the sitter's uniform and Stark had even taken it upon himself to make very cool looking individual emblems for those that didn't already have one.

"I must admit Tony, you and Bruce really out did yourselves. The bar was a bit unnecessary, but this is still a pretty cool looking meeting room," she said as she walked over to sit in her chair. She noticed it was put right next to Hawkeye's and Thor's chairs. Tony had obviously put a lot of thought into this room.

"Looks great, but there's six of us and seven chairs..." He said looking at the chair that was at the head of the table. His chair was kiddy corner to it and next to Stark's chair. Bruce's chair was next to only Tony's. The Captain found it a bit odd, that even though he and Tony didn't get along that entirely well, he would sit next to him instead of putting Bruce next to him. It was a little off putting that though he had taken leadership of the team, he was not at the head of the table.

"Cool your jets Cap, that's for Fury when he decides to grace us with his presence for a briefing or something like that, he has his own chair and knows he's part of the team too. So we should get paid as much as him."

Bruce took his spot next to Tony. He was grateful for it being at the end of the table, and also closest to the window. If ever need be, he could just stay out of the politics or business, they were never his strong suit. His chair was of course, green and purple, even with his small protest against it. Seeing how everyone else got their own chair to match, he didn't seem to mind too badly about the giant 'H' that was behind him.

"WE ARE GETTING PAID FOR OUR DEEDS?" Thor asked concerned. Bruce chuckled; it was obvious that the god had missed the sarcasm, but that made it all the more amusing.

"What? I don't get another nest here?" Hawkeye said sarcastically. Any and all of his intentions still meant to be hostile to the billionaire.

"No Thor, we're not getting paid. It was a joke. Just like Hawkeye's nest," he said giving Clint the 'get the fuck over it' look. It amazed him how any of them managed to work together. They all just had such different personalities and different reasons to be in the group. Be it trying to wash blood off one's hands, protecting earth, being part of the military, or love for one of the members, they all had their hidden agenda. Yet, they still worked well together.

"Speak for yourself. Being part of S.H.E.I.L.D. is my job. I just don't get paid for this portion of it," Natasha said looking at the men. Only she and Clint were permanent members of S.H.I.E.L.D. not just part of a response team. "Clint you get paid a pretty good sum too don't you?"

"Enough for arrows and food and that's all I need," he said smugly back at her. As long as he got to do what he was best at, he was happy. In notice of Stark's glare to him, he just pulled out one of his arrows and fiddled with it. Using his finger, he traced out 'Tony Stark' along the shaft with a smirk on his face; the joy of getting to shot the man right now would be a pleasure.

Thor turned to face Stark and Banner after spinning around in his chair a couple of times. "THIS REALLY IS QUITE THE PALACE. YOU HAVE OUTDONE YOURSELVES," he said congratulating the two on the job well done.

Bruce nodded his head respectfully. Glad to hear the kind words from everyone. "It was a fun experience to say the least. Oh Tony, isn't there something else to show off? Even you didn't tell me about this one," sounding interested, if not a tad bit hurt from being left out. Stark had left often to work on it during the day after they finished up everything to accommodate the Avengers. All he would say is that it was another add on for everyone.

"Right, this is a special treat for all of us," he took them to the elevator again and pressed the button for the bottommost floor, a floor that was even under the garage. When the doors opened, a large training room was revealed. "There are targets, both still and moving, sparring areas, and what I am most proud of, simulations for all of us to practice a bit of teamwork."

Natasha walked over to the targets and sparing area. They were high quality and probably very expensive. "Wow Tony. I must say I am impressed."

Rogers looked at the punching bag and saw a strange contraption on it. He walked over to it to inspect it a bit. "What's this?"

"Ah right, well I was informed that you go through a lot of punching bags, that will rotate them for you after you break one." Stark knew this time he had actually done a good job. Even Rogers would have to admit he did a good job.

"Wow...Thank you," Steve said politely. As much of an ass Stark could be, when he really got into a project he magically became considerate. It was a refreshing change. Now if only they could figure out how to get Stark to be that way all the time.

Hawkeye pulled out his bow to its full position, pulled an arrow from the quiver and pulled it back in the drawstring. He quickly maneuvered himself so that an arrow shot right past Stark's head, grazing past his hair, and hitting dead center in a target well over a hundred feet away. "Not a bad set up, Shell Head," he smirked.

Thor taking his own interest in the battle grounds swung his mighty Mjolnir at the nearest target, crushing it instantly. Within a few seconds, a new target appeared in the same place as the old one: same design and structure, totally unscathed. "YOUR TECHNOLOGY DOES SEEM TO HAVE ITS USES," he boomed in amusement.

Banner sat back in the crowd. The room was pretty impressive. From the looks of how destroyed one of the contraptions, it seemed to be fully self-restoring. But it wouldn't serve him any real use unless he learned how to control the Hulk properly. He and Stark had been running some gamma radiation treatments on him. In the hopes that matching the Hulk's higher gamma radiation signature would allow for Banner to have more control and input on his actions. On his last Hulk out, he had been able to convince the other guy mentally to help fight alongside with the Avengers, even if he didn't remember doing it, and it did show in the battle. Hopefully, the tests would prove successful. He was currently too scared and worried for everyone's wellbeing in order to test his hypothesis.

Natasha gave Hawkeye a warning look. Tony may have been as ass, but pissing off the billionaire who went through the trouble of making them all personalized stuff was probably a very bad idea, especially since he controlled the computer system that ran the entire building and could probably cause a bit of trouble for them all.

The Captain went over to the punching bags and began punching at it rapidly. He knocked it off the chain and as promised a new one was rotated in from the ceiling. It was pretty cool. He smiled realizing the large amount of time he'd save not having to pull out ten bags, or have to put them up on the hook.

Tony didn't flinch when Hawkeye shot the target. He would get the man back later. Right now he was too excited to show Bruce the biggest surprise of all. "Well explore, enjoy the building. JARVIS will give you a map when you need one. Know that you need a special card for the R&D floors, which only Bruce and I have. Nothing against you guys, but we can't have you coming in while doing work or fucking up the machines."

Once everyone went to enjoying their personal training areas, Tony walked over to Bruce and took his hand. He quickly pulled him to the elevator and put a blindfold on him before pressing the button for the floor with their bedrooms. "I have a special surprise for you."

"Is this really necessary?" Bruce asked while pointing to the blindfold. It was making his slightly uncomfortable not being able to see. Stark was helping him into the elevator which took off with a more noticeable jerk than normal to the blindfolded man. The doctor was shifting in place to try to take his mind off what sort of surprise Stark could possibly show him that would require this sort of treatment.

"Yes, it's very necessary," Tony led the man to the former Iron Man themed bedroom. The room now had a green and gold color scheme. There was a large bed, and two desks. The bathroom was just as large as before considering it could have fit ten people already, and there was even a special elevator that went to all the labs. Tony removed the blindfold slowly.

"This may be a bit late, but I want you to move in with me, in my room. The walls may not look it, but I designed them to be Hulk proof. JARVIS will monitor your heart rate and tell us the speed once it reaches 170. At 185 an alarm will sound in our room only. The room will go on automatic lock down once it reaches 190. It's not a prison though, once your heart rate is back down to at least 100 you can ask JARVIS to unlock the room. It responds only to yours and my voice, and you can ask for a lock down earlier if you need or want it. So what do ya say? Want to move in?"

Bruce was practically dumbfounded. For a month, he hadn't even noticed that he never slept in the other man's room and here was the reason right before him. Not only that, but he managed to make it so it'd be safe for them and everyone else. That sort of construction made the physicist wonder how in the hell did he miss this. The decoration was a nice touch, seemed appropriate given their relationship; he was half expecting to see, for Tony's room, pictures of himself on the walls.

"I take it that you must _really_ hate the sound of my watch if you went through all this trouble," he snickered as he went to look around the room some more. Spotting the elevator that he hadn't seen before, he inquired, "Where does that lead? The secret batcave or something?"

"Well I must admit, it's a bit of an eye sore when sleeping together. Besides I'm pretty sure you get tired of looking at it, like it's a reminder," Tony leaned against the doorway as the man looked around the room. Bruce still hadn't answered on whether or not he wanted to move into the room. _Is he stalling? Can't he just say no if he doesn't want to._

"That, my dear doctor, is an elevator that leads to all the labs in the building." he smiled knowing that would be something that Bruce would have a hard time giving up if he rejected Tony's offer. "So I repeat, want to move in?"

Then Stark repeated the question he avoided the first time. Of course he would love to stay with the man, but now that there were four other people to worry about him seeing the both of them together, it didn't make him overly confident to accept the offer. He may love Tony, but he wasn't sure if he was ready for everyone else to know about it yet. Pepper and Happy were the only ones who knew about the relationship so far, and Stark had been good about keeping it out of the press' reach.

"T-Tony...Is that really a good idea now that everyone's moved into the Tower...?" he asked sheepishly, not wanting to give a definite answer.

Tony almost visibly scowled. It hurt that Bruce wanted to hide it. Not that Tony wanted to go to the meeting room and have a make-out session on the table for all to see, well he didn't want to do that right now, but he didn't care if the others knew. Hell, he preferred it. There was no reason to keep their relationship secret. The only reason he kept the press away was because he knew they would overwhelm Bruce.

"What does that matter? We're already on a different floor than them. They're going to find out sometime, because I sure as hell don't plan on changing my habits just because they live here now, so if you don't move in here I'll likely be in _your _bedroom every night." The hurt was pretty visible on Tony's face, though he tried to hide it most the time. He had worked very hard on the room and Bruce rejecting his offer was not what he had expected. Now he knew why he was nervous all day.

"I'm sorry Tony," Bruce said after seeing the pain on his face. It pained him just as much to see what his own tentativeness had done. He took Tony around the waist and hugged the man softly. "I really do appreciate this. It's wonderful. I know they'll figure it out sooner or later, and sorry I'm hesitant on this," he stroked Tony's freshly shaven cheek and gave a small smile, "I'd love to move in though."

Honestly, Banner did want to be with the man, it was just his shy nature getting in the way was what was preventing him from immediately saying yes. Stark's beaten face made it obvious that he had to accept his offer; the threat didn't help much though.

Tony gave a big smile and pulled the man into a tight hug and kissed him passionately. He honestly felt like dancing, but that was too uncool. For a moment there he had thought Bruce was going to reject the offer, then Tony would have had to set up the elevator in another room. Not to mention he would have gone crazy, because it meant the only time they'd both be in his room would be when Bruce was ready for sex, and frankly conditioning his body like that was probably not a good idea. If they got into a fight and he had to sleep in his bedroom alone, it'd be an insta-boner as soon as he walked into the room.

"So...may I ask the required amount of time I have to wait before asking when we can try to consummate your moving in?" He asked this with a devious smile. They hadn't tried anything past making out since the almost Hulk out last time, and frankly Tony hadn't gone this long without sex since he was kidnapped in Afghanistan. It was killing him.

"And the truth behind the room was revealed. Sometimes I can't tell if you're a genius or just criminally insane," he sighed after licking his lips, enjoying the taste of the other man.

"Well if we're going to pick a time, might as well be one where everyone is distracted," he said looking at the door from over Tony's shoulder. Banner then proceeded to unbelted his wristwatch and held it up in front of Stark's face.

"Lucky you. You get to have me shackle free and everything," he said smugly, knowing that the billionaire would appreciate it.

* * *

Tony was absolutely surprised that Bruce was agreeing to do it right now, when everyone was awake. He was especially surprised to see the man instantly take off that eye sore. Tony took the man's shackleless wrist and kissed it gently. "JARVIS, lock the door please."

"Yes, sir." A loud click was could be heard as the door was locked tight. Tony then kissed the man again, this time with more desire, more need. His tongue explored the man's mouth, like it had so many times before. He decided to make it easier for them to strip this time by doing it before they got into bed. While his lips were occupied he began unbuttoning the man's shirt, knowing that if he just ripped it open, Bruce might flip out and stop. Once all the buttons were undone he pushed the man's shirt off his shoulders.

He felt the warm skin of the man's torso and he moved them down to unbuckle the man's belt. He unbuttoned Bruce's pants and slowly unzipped them, to let them fall. For once he was grateful for the man's habit of wearing ill-fitting clothes.

Stark, in turn, had more practice at removing clothes from other people. Poor Bruce could barely undo a button while the other man's tongue danced around in his mouth. At least with their practice of that, the doctor had learned how to control his breathing better through his nose, even though it allowed less air to pass through. No amount of practice could cease his constant blush and moans though. After one button was done, which much struggle, he moved onto the next. Tony obviously saw how hard of a time the small man was having and decided to help him out with the job, and soon enough Stark's shirt was on the floor with his own. The pants followed, much more readily than the shirt.

Tony sat down on the bed and pulled the man into his lap, in way that he was straddling the billionaire. This gave an excellent advantage to Tony to do one of his favorite things, mark the man. After giving his usual long lick to the man's neck to taste him, he began sucking on the man's neck roughly. Bruce's moans only excited Tony more. This time he didn't just leave two large visible hickies, he left a lot of small ones too.

Once he felt the man's neck was sufficiently marked he began marking his chest. It was a slow and teasing foreplay, but this was the best way to ease into it. Hearing the man's 'oh god's stop, Tony decided he needed to kick it up a bit. He began sucking on the man's man's nipples as he snaked his hand into the man's boxers. Pulling out his penis, he began stroking it slowly. He chose to take the hand job route for the first time they tried again, hoping this wouldn't be over stimulating and at least one of them would get off.

"Fuck!" Bruce moaned in pleasure. All the foreplay from his 'god' was getting his erection to be up and at full attention. He gasped loudly as the man started playing with the head and grabbed Tony's hair and kneaded it roughly. The pleasure was fantastic, since their last attempt he had wanted to try their luck at this, but of course he couldn't let himself go through with that. Now he could let loose, figuratively. He leaned his head onto Stark's warm shoulder and gave light kisses as waves of pleasure passed through him on each stroke of his cock.

Tony couldn't help but chuckle at the man's exclamation. He was obviously doing something right. He slowly rubbed the tip with his thumb adding a small amount of pressure. This was quite a bit easier than a blow job, considering he gave himself hand jobs all the time. As he continued stroking, he felt the man's lips on his neck. It sent pleasured shivers down his spine, anytime Bruce took some kind of action it nearly made him moan like the man he was pleasuring. He alternated between stroking slowly and dragging two fingers slowly up the underside.

"Oh god," Bruce moaned again barely able to keep his position on top of Stark. He was keeping his breathing very stable considering that besides his last blow job, this was the only sexual activity he had done in years. At points it would fluctuate, but he was getting better at bringing it back to normal. Even his heart was keeping itself regular, of course it had increased at least twice its normal amount, but the heart monitor that JARVIS was keeping track of on Banner hadn't signaled yet.

The doctor was clenching on tighter to Tony as he started teasing him in mid stroke. His chest pressed up against that of Stark's, both warm and moist, and he was finding it hard to control his breathing at this rate. The sensation was practically unbearable, yet Stark looked smug at his attempts.

"Fuck! T-Tony...please finish me off," he begged the billionaire that had total control over his body. The physicist was biting his lip trying to control himself, unable to open his eyes from wanting release.

"Well, since you asked so nicely," Tony said speeding up his strokes giving small squeezes at different points. Bruce's pleas were almost enough to make Tony climax on the spot. He kissed the man passionately tangling their tongues as his hand worked. His other hand moved around the man to help support him. Tony was still extremely hard during all this. Had his other hand not been trying to keep Bruce safely on his lap, he'd probably be jacking off at that point.

He was so glad the heart monitors weren't going off, one of them might actually get to finish time. The man in his lap was so warm, they were covered in sweat. The room was filled with the sweet musty smell of intercourse, and their hair was probably a mess by now. Even though they weren't having sex it sure as hell would look like it.

Bruce moved one of his hands down to Tony's neck, the other to the man's side. He scratched lightly, playing with Stark's side and with the other he used it to pull the man deeper inside his mouth. The pleasure was overwhelming and finally, gave to success. Banner came, mainly on Stark and god did it feel amazing. The man collapsed onto Tony, unable to feel anything after the giant wave of pleasure passed through his entire body.

He rested there for a moment before he could move or speak. Closing his eyes, he finally managed to spit out, "God, I fucking needed that."

Tony was surprised to feel the warm substance to land on him for once. Now he knew how most his dates felt. He smiled patting the man's back gently. He still had an erection, but he figured he could take care of that in the shower he desperately needed. "I know that feeling. Need a nap before going back out there?"

Tony was trying to buy himself time so he _could _sneak off to the shower. He knew if he did it when Bruce was aware the Tony still hadn't gotten off, Bruce would feel bad and work himself up over something he probably just wasn't ready to do yet. "How bout I wake you up in about 30 minutes or so, I have to take a shower anyway."

The doctor managed to move himself off of Stark to see the mess he made. He felt embarrassed that he didn't even warn the other man about it, but when he was in such a state of ecstasy, he didn't know when it coming. But at the mention of a shower, his own stench and sweatiness became very much apparent.  
"S-sorry about that," he said shyly, looking over to the edge of the bed he was on. "I think it would be good if I got a shower too. I kind of reek."

"No need to be sorry. I won't get the suit and attack you for it. If you want you can take the shower first," he said hoping the man would take a long shower. Tony half hoped Bruce would want to share it, but that was probably a definite no. Bruce never did those kinds of things; he was still awkward about undressing in front of Tony. However, he never did stuff like he just did either.  
Tony was almost sure Bruce was going to give him the shower first, considering what Tony had on his stomach and chest. He stopped worrying about the length of Bruce's shower, he knew he'd get a chance, he just wanted it now. His hard on was almost hurting.

"Well considering since I...," he paused thinking of a way to phrase it that he wouldn't really have to say what he did out loud. "Um...well took a number on you I guess...You can go ahead. I could use a nap right about now anyways."  
Bruce gave a small smile, his face still full of colour. Before the playboy next to him could get up, he took him by his hand. He managed to turn his head to face Tony and gave him a light loving kiss before parting. "T-Thank you," he said sweetly.

"My pleasure," he said before heading to the bathroom. Turning on the hot water, he stripped himself of his boxers. He got into the water, letting it cradle his skin before he started stroking himself. His hands followed the same movements he had used on Bruce. The image of the man making him finish quite a bit faster than usual. After he enjoyed the afterglow for a few minutes he washed himself off and got out. Realizing in his haste he forgot boxers, he simply wrapped a towel around himself to go to the bedroom.  
After putting on the fresh underwear he sat on the edge of the bed and shook Bruce lightly to wake him up. Giving him a small kiss he said, "Come on big guy, I'm sure they've noticed we're gone by now, and we should get them ready for dinner. Today they get to try Dummy's cooking."  
The joke made him smiled as he talked to the ceiling "JARVIS have Dummy prepare something for dinner for everybody."  
"Yes, sir. Dinner will be ready in approximately 30 minutes."  
"Thank you JARVIS. Perfect amount of time for you to take a shower, get ready, and round everyone up with me."

* * *

Banner had been resting quietly on Stark's bed while he was gone, his heart rate back to normal. Not really able to fall asleep, but able to enjoy the otherworldly sensation he had gotten. It had been far too long since he had even touched himself like that, let alone with another male, but it felt fabulous.  
The light touch on his arm was comforting when Stark had come out of the shower. He gave a grin and rose off the bed for his own turn. When the billionaire mentioned the incompetent robot's cooking he couldn't help but laugh.  
"They haven't even been here for three hours, and you're already trying to make them run for the hills," Banner chuckled as he walked into the bathroom for his own ritual. Catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror, he noticed half of his chest covered in hickeys, the two most noticeable being on each side of his neck. He shook his head, unable to believe that Stark had done that much damage to his body. _Need to remember to button up my shirt all the way now...,_he thought to himself.  
Moving away from the mirror, he finally got into the shower and started up the hot water that felt very relaxing on his skin. Still unable to read any of the small labels on the bottles of soaps and hair care products, he just grabbed whatever he could reach and applied it. He wasn't so picky as long as he differentiated the hair care and soap. Plus, he needed to be out quickly so once he scrubbed off, he dried off a quick as he could. Making sure to dry his long messy hair as much as possible, he finally wrapped the towel around his waist and went back to the bedroom to find Stark fully clothed and ready to go.  
Bruce walked over to the pile of clothes by the entrance of the room and put on his watch first, he keeps it on all the time now and having it off for so long felt odd. His body was turned so that his back was faced towards Stark, knowing that, he slipped on his boxers, followed by his shirt and trousers. The warning he gave himself earlier popped back up and he made sure to check in the mirror that his bruises were sufficiently covered. Finally, he turned around to face the other man with a lopsided smile and his arms held out to waist height.  
"Well...do I look presentable?" he asked nervously.

"You look presentable, but you looked a whole lot better to me before you put your clothes on," He said only half joking. He knew Bruce dressed with his back to Tony, because he kept his eyes on the man the whole time, especially since his eyes stayed on the man's ass as it moved. He made a mental note to put hickies on the man's back too. It was a bit weird, but Tony liked to mark what was his. Since he couldn't put 'Stark Industries' on the man he decided on hickies, they worked well enough.  
"JARVIS, where is everybody?"  
"All but Thor are enjoying their rooms. Thor is in the kitchen eating before dinner."  
"Thank you, JARVIS. Please give an announcement for everybody to meet us at the dining room on the 23rd floor."  
"Yes,sir."  
Tony then turned to Bruce and took his hands. He kissed them gently. "Shall we go and face the pack?"

Bruce returned the favour with a smirk from Stark's question. "As I'll ever be," he replied as Stark took off for the hall with the appropriate elevator, holding only one of his hands this time. The elevator ride was quick and the doctor made sure to part hands before the doors swept open.

They both walked out into the hall that lead to the dining area and stopped, Bruce offered out his own Avenger ID card so that they could call everyone out for the first time. He offered the device to Stark saying, "Shall you do the honours?"

"Thanks big guy," he said giving a sweet kiss to the man's temple before using the card to dial everyone. "Everyone, dinner is served in the dining room on the 23rd floor." He hung up and handed the card back to Bruce. It was the first meal they'd all eat together since they ate shawarma. He was a bit excited, but he may still just be overly giddy from the successful hand job he gave earlier that night.

Walking down the hall, he led Bruce to the dining room where they could sit down and make sure they were next to each other.

Natasha was one of the first up. She sat in a chair saving the one in between her and Bruce for Clint. Not that she didn't want to sit next to Bruce, it just made it obvious that she was saving a seat for someone, and that someone better damn well know the seat was for him.

The Captain was the next up he sat next to Natasha on the other side. He wasn't too fond of sitting next to Stark, in case he decided to play games or make lude comments. He was still a bit weary of Natasha, back in his day women were never really considered equals to men and she surprised almost every man he knew in strength and a lot of them in smarts. She was a dangerous woman, but better than being next to Stark.

Barton came in soon enough, taking his place next to Romanoff. He was grateful that she chose to mediate the seat next to Stark so he wouldn't accidentally try to shoot past him again. Not that he didn't want to, but admittedly his 'nest' was the best thing about the Tower so far.

Thor came running in with an empty box of Pop Tarts in one hand with Mjolnir on his wrist, while holding the communicator in the other. "THIS BLACK MAGIC HAD SPOKEN TO ME WHILST I WAS FORAGING FOR MORE TARTS THAT HAD BEEN POPPED. THEY ARE DELICIOUS, BUT I FEARED FOR THE WORST THAT EVERYONE ELSE HAD RECEIVED THE ARCHAIC MESSAGE AND FOOLISHLY WENT TO THEIR DEMISE," he looked puzzled that no one was injured, but were just sitting around a long dining hall table.

"Thor," Tony said with a mix of annoyance at the yelling and amusement because of his ignorance "It's not black magic. I told you before, the I.D. cards can be used as communicators. And please, I beg of you, stop yelling. It is rare that I don't have a hangover when I wake up and your yelling will just make it a hell of a lot worse."

"Well, maybe you just shouldn't drink so much," Natasha said as the food was put on the table by the robot. Beverages were also served, it was obvious by the drink Tony had programmed Dummy to go with people's specific likes. _Hmm, maybe he fixed the useless thing after all. It seems to know which person likes what, and the food looks edible. _

The Captain picked up his glass of milk and took a gulp he quickly spat it out. "WHAT IN SAM HELL DID I JUST PUT IN MY MOUTH?"

Tony looked at the milk and shrugged. He sipped his scotch and laughed a bit, "with Dummy we will never know."

"Still better than the smoking orange juice and blue drink," Bruce chucked as the captain couldn't handle whatever Dummy had given to him. The robot had given Banner darjeeling tea, something from India he had come to rather enjoy. He sipped at the hot drink, enjoying the warmth on his fingers, but a tad bit too hot for the summer's day.

"NONSENSE ARACHNID, THAT CAN'T BE POSSIBLE," Thor said and swiftly went to chugging down the massive mug of beer that Dummy provided. Upon finishing, the god screamed, "ANOTHER! AND HE MUST SURELY MAKE HIS ANCESTORS PROUD BY DOING SO."

Clint only shook his head at the nonsense he was witnessing. In front of him looked to be some sort of carbonated beverage, but upon hearing the comments from around the table he took to just observing the drink from afar. "Anyone want to test this thing out for me?" he asked.

Tony reached across the table to pick up the white liquid. He smelled it a bit before taking a gulp. Immediately he started laughing. "It's soy milk! You're such a wimp! I thought he gave you spoiled milk or something, and it's soy milk!"

"In my day we had milk from cows like real men!" he exclaimed obviously embarrassed at his outburst that was apparently over nothing. He had seen soy milk in stores on his travels, but he never tried them, it just seemed unnatural.

Natasha leaned forward and grabbed Hawkeye's drink it was just coke. She sipped hers and it was diet. She swapped the drinks. "It _was _coke, but now it's diet. Sorry, but those are my fees for being a poison tester."

Tony chuckled looking at his teammates, a bunch of crazy people they were, but they were his teammates all the same. The food was ethnic today and it looked good for once. Taking a bite he realized it was extremely spicy food. It was actually making him feel warm, that along with his booze. "Dummy...bring everyone milk...regular soy I don't care but bring milk now."

Before Stark's warning was announced by his demands to Dummy, both Thor and Banner had already started to dig in. Thor downed the plate with no reaction, and even helped himself to seconds. The Pop Tarts from earlier were apparently not enough to feed the man. Bruce on the other hand, had taste buds unlike the god. The food was very hot spice wise and that wasn't something the doctor normally had. Even with Dummy as the cook, he didn't plan for the food to make it hard to breathe.

On intake of the first bite, with was immediately followed by Stark's warning, it caught him off guard and sent him into a coughing fit. The combination of the restricted airway due to his not usually fully buttoned up shirt and the inability to breathe from choking made his heart rate spike, his watch giving the evidence to everyone else in the room. The collar was bothering him the most, he kept it open normally to be comfortable and relaxed and its restriction was only becoming more apparent. His mind was worried about Hulking out at this point and undid the top button. Spotting the milk that Tony had tried for Cap, he took a gulp to see if he could get rid of the pain in his throat, which it thankfully did.

"Are you serious!" Barton questioned next to Bruce, his eyes on the neck he just revealed. Even at his angle, the man saw everything. "Who is the hell is getting Banner laid?"

_Fuck...,_ was the caught man's first thought. Bruce was frozen in the chair, his watch not decreasing in the slow, but steady pace its alarm was making. The fact that Clint was so nonchalant and explicit about his secrets didn't help.

Natasha just kept eating her poison while she thought. Considering she and Clint were together and she didn't want that broadcasted, she thought it'd be best to keep her words to herself just this once. _It's odd, I didn't hear any doorbell or anyone use the elevators since we got here. Would he really have someone wait for him while he and Tony gave a tour? Actually didn't they both disappear after the training room? Does that mean that Tony invited two girls over; one for him, one for Bruce? Tony really doesn't seem like the sharing type..._

Cap looked up from the dangerous food to see the red spots on Banner's neck. _What the hell is he thinking? He's having sex when he has to watch his heart rate? I thought this man was a genius; apparently he's as stupid as Tony. _Rogers felt it was his job to speak up about this, since he was leader of the team. "Dr. Banner, do you really think it's a good idea to engage in those activities? I mean it's not safe for everyone here, by here I mean the town maybe the state, it especially can't be safe for your bed partner."

Even though they hadn't really had sex, Tony quite enjoyed Clint's outburst. It was really quite amusing, but then the damn soldier's words hit his ears and he glared at the man. "Shut up Rogers, we're taking precautions. And frankly what we do in our free time is our business. So if you wouldn't mind, leave my boyfriend alone."

This was the first time Tony had referred to Bruce as his boyfriend, true he never really talked to anyone else about their relationship, but he had never called him a boyfriend. Boyfriend came a promise of commitment and faithfulness, which is why he never really had girlfriends, only dates. With Bruce it was different, he felt that boyfriend was a much better title than lover, considering he already promised to be faithful and committed.

Cap looked at them a bit odd and then laughed a bit. "You have horrible timing Tony, but I almost believed you for a moment. That was funny," he looked at Bruce waiting for the other man to laugh too.

Without even having to turn his head, he could feel all eyes in the room looking at him. His watch was still beeping and he was trying to hide the noise by covering it with his other hand. At least this time, he could breathe. Trying to figure out what to say to make the situation more bearable was impossible for Bruce at that point.

"Umm...I-it's true...," he stuttered after a long pause, mainly due to his entire physical motions being impaired. The fact that Tony had called him his 'boyfriend' for the first time was also another shock. At least it was a more comforting shock that allowed him to actually talk.

"CONGRATULATIONS BANNER! IN ASGARD, WE WOULD CELEBRATE AT THE VICTORY OF YOUR SUCCESSFUL ENDEAVORS," he raised the beer mug that Dummy had just refilled. "CHEERS!" he said as he chugged down the alcohol yet again.

"Seriously! With Shell Head over there, Banner's probably taking it up the ass more time than I get to with Natasha," Clint pouted, still amazed that any sort of sexual activity was still involved.

"Well our endeavors aren't completely successful, we haven't gotten as far as Clint is implying..." the former playboy said a bit embarrassed as he laced his fingers with Bruce's under the table. His reputation was being dissolved. Though he didn't mind losing the title of playboy, he'd still enjoy keeping his reputation as a man who got as much sex as he wanted. He worked hard for that rep.

Natasha turned to Clint and punched him in the face. "That is private information! God it's a good thing you're only an assassin and not a spy, because you sure as hell don't know how to keep your mouth shut!"

Cap was frozen to his seat. This, this was just wrong. In his day people didn't come out they sucked it up, got married to a nice woman and raised a family. He would assume it was a joke still, but it was obvious Bruce wasn't joking. It all made sense now. The close proximity in which they stood, Tony's hand on top of Bruce's, why anytime there was personalized things like chairs Tony's was always next to Bruce's. His head was spinning, this was not happening. Two of his male teammates were _not _going out with each other.

"See big guy? I told you they'd find out eventually anyway," Tony said with a cocky smile. It probably helped that he had secretly had JARVIS tell Dummy to make very spicy food. He knew Bruce would have his, no, their relationship until everyone else found out by themselves. Now to just work on getting him to do some PDA once in a while, then everything would be perfect.

"R-right," he agreed with the man, still unable to believe that everything was revealed. His personal life just disregarded and put up for display so everyone could see it. Without the other man holding his hand at that moment, he wouldn't be able to say anything, luckily the contact was helping him calm down slightly. However, it still didn't calm him down enough to get an actual appetite back.

"Ow! Fuck! I'm sorry Natasha!" he said while pulling himself up onto the chair. More worried at the moment that the woman was probably not going to be giving him anything he wanted for that night.

Thor was just downing another beer while everything was falling apart. He had food and drinks and that was enough to satisfy him for the time being.

"Well Bruce, it seems like we're both stuck with loud mouths that like to broadcast their sex lives," she said giving him a sympathetic look. It was not an ideal thing for everyone to know her sexual habits. _Clint had better damn right apologize properly tonight, or he's going to go without sex longer than criminals with life sentences that lack conjugal visits._

"Hey that's not fair. I didn't broadcast it, I just happen to like putting my name on things," Tony said with a small chuckle. He started eating the spicy food, wanting to get out of there. He knew Bruce could only handle so much of this kind of thing. Not to mention he wanted to start their gamma radiation work for tonight. It seems they've been doing a good job so far, but they won't know until the next time Bruce Hulks out.

Steve sat quietly listening to everyone's comments. How could everyone be so okay with this? These were two _men. _This was wrong and his teammates were _supporting _this. When did it become okay for people to just do what they pleased?

After what felt like a long dinner, Banner's watch finally stopped it's beeping. He appreciated Stark's actions of trying to comfort him secretly under the table, without the view of everyone else. It still felt like he was the center of attention and currently all he wanted to do was go to his lab to continue some research or barricade himself in his room. Honestly, barricading himself in the lab sounded like a fabulous idea, he wasn't planning on sleeping any time soon after that incident. The man couldn't even touch the rest of his meal without fear.

Hawkeye rubbed the side of his face that Romanoff just happened to soil. He remained quiet of his sarcastic comments for the duration of the meal in fear of getting the same treatment again and ate.

And Thor was happy to eat the rest of the leftovers from everyone else at the table.

"Well as lovely as this time has been, Bruce and I have research to do, yes actual research Clint, and hopefully tomorrow's dinner won't be as spicy," Tony said stand still holding onto Bruce's hand. He was trying to get Bruce out of there and he had honestly forgot he was still holding the man's hand, it just felt so natural now-a-days. "If you need us just call the I.D. cards."

Natasha was quite proud of Clint for holding his tongue after that, she knew it must have been hard for him considering how many times she's hit him for his smart mouth. She smiled when Tony excused him and Bruce from the table. She stood gripping Clint's shoulder roughly and said, "Actually, Clint and I should get going too. I need to have a talk with him about the importance of privacy."

Steve watched as everyone excused themselves. People today were just rude, in his day people stayed at the table until everyone was done, now they just ate really quick and left. He looked at Bruce and Tony's entwined fingers and felt uncomfortable. Now they were displaying their affection publicly too? He looked at Thor, "Want to go down to the training room and spot me?"

"WHY I WOULD BE MOST HONOURED TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE YOU IN BATTLE ONCE MORE," Thor bellowed out after finishing off another beer from Dummy. The poor robot was having a hard time keeping up with the Asgardian. He and the captain headed for the elevators like everyone else.

Bruce followed the other man, unable to really think on his own, just allowing where he was being dragged to take him. Not that the premise of taking his mind off the social shutdown he had mentally with gamma radiation filled fun, didn't sound like something he need.

Clint was dragged to the elevator and eyed at Bruce, his face screaming 'I'm so not going to get any tonight'. But it was evident that the scientist next to him wasn't able to see him, just through him and possibly beyond that. It was evident that he had definitely shaken the man up, or just beat him to a bloody pulp. Making a corpse out of talking about sex wasn't his exact idea of a first day gone right, and it didn't make him feel any better about it. Barton leaned over and whispered, "I'm sorry," into his ear, just in hopes that it would wake the poor man up.  
Dr. Banner finally caught hold of what was going around at the words and only managed a simple nod before entering the elevator with the others.

Steve felt uncomfortable being in the cramped elevator with all these men, and a very dangerous woman. It didn't bother him earlier that day, but now it did since he knew that two of the men could be checking out his ass. It was a bit unnerving...  
Stark and Bruce got off first. He pulled the man into the lab and smiled. Once the elevator doors closed he gave the man a gentle kiss. Tony was very worried about his boyfriend. He knew that Bruce wouldn't be too happy about everyone finding out, but the sooner they knew the better. He hoped the man wasn't going through an emotion overload. "Are you okay, big guy? Did Clint say something else that bothered you?"  
Black Widow and Clint got off the elevator next. After saying goodnight to everyone she dragged Clint to her room pushing him on the bed roughly. For now she was going to let him think she brought him up here to scold him and maybe kick his ass. She crossed her arms and loomed over the bed ominously before asking coldly, "So Clint, What do you have to say for yourself?"

Finally, Thor and Steve reach their destination. Being completely oblivious to the captain's discomfort, he patted the man on the back. "SHALL WE COMMENCE?" he asked excited. The man flinched underneath him, but managed to nod his head and thus they commenced.  
Clint was looking up at Natasha, admiring the view. "I'm sorry," he said with a dopey grin on his face, "And dammit you look sexy when you're mad." The woman rolled her eyes, but then went to work with the man on her bed.  
Stark's efforts were greatly appreciated by Bruce. His kiss was calming and much more settling now that he was out of all the watchful eyes. The small man rubbed at his neck, partially ashamed that the marks were visible for all to see, yet happy from the ability to receive them and had the chance to get off for once, all without Hulking out.  
"I-I'm fine," he said meekly and not really convincingly. "Mr. Barton apologized to me is all."

Stark was thoroughly impressed that Clint would apologize, especially before getting that talk with Natasha. He raised an eyebrow to the man signaling he did not believe the man when he said he was fine. He stroked his cheek gently. "I'm sorry, I should really be more careful about where I mark you..."  
Though he probably shouldn't mark the man at all, he couldn't help it. He sat in one of the lab chairs and smiled. "Would it make you feel better if I let you give me one? You'll be the first to get to mark Tony Stark as your own."  
It was a cocky offer, but that's how he did most things. Even though it was arrogant, it was a legitimate offer, and a real attempt at being nice.

"It's okay. We should calibrate the systems for a higher dosage of radiation right now anyways," he said blushing, looking towards the equipment to the side of Stark. There had been too much forwardness today and this wasn't going to help. Of course, his mind was going to the only other thing in the room that would keep his mind off of everything that happened. One thing kept coming up no matter what and he knew he wasn't going to concentrate properly on his work until he did. He started to play with his hands, his blush only growing deeper.  
"Um...You called me your boyfriend for the first time...T-Thank you," he said quietly, glad to have his hands to distract him.

Tony blushed a bit as he for once avoided the man's eyes. It had just felt so natural to say that, he really hadn't expected to be thanked for it. For once he knew how the other man felt when he teased him or was straightforward about everything, it was a bit embarrassing. He looked back up at the man as he said, "I'm glad you liked it, but you don't have to thank me for it. I hope one day you'll return the favor. Because I mean, I'm pretty sure we're at the point of referring to each other as more than friends."  
He was rambling, just like when he first told the press he was Iron Man and he couldn't really stop it. It was time to work, definitely time to work, that would make him stop. God he felt more awkward than Banner. "_So _calibrating those systems?"  
Bruce gave a small smile and a nod. It wasn't every day someone got to see Tony Stark embarrassed, let alone be the cause of it. He moved over to the man's side with the machine that emitted all the radiation. A monitor appeared in front of him when he asked JARVIS for the controls, something he was getting used to amazingly.  
The physicist played with the instrument like it was nothing, easily adjusting the output of gamma radiation that would be used for his treatment. They had gradually been increasing the dosages on weekly increments, not wanting to make the poor man glow from having too much exposure at once.  
"Alright," he said ready for the experience he knew too well that was coming. "I'll give you the signal when I'm ready for you to begin." He scratched the back of his head, feeling sort of awkward repeating the same thing every time they go to begin radiating him.

The doctor turned to see Stark still blushing, even after his had gone down. His smile crept back up on his face and he leaned closer to the other man. With a light kiss to Stark's red cheek, Banner went into the other room, making sure he closed the lead lined door properly. He didn't want to risk any chance of giving Tony radiation poisoning. There had been horrible effects that he's witnessed before that he would wish upon no one. Finally, Bruce sat down and then raised his left hand as the signal to start.

Tony smiled at the small kiss. To most people it would seem like nothing, but to Stark it was almost like the grabbing his ass. It flattered him as he began the radiation treatment. He watched the man sitting in there all alone taking in the radiation. Tony put his feet up and pulled out his I.D. card. pulling up the holographic choice of contacts he pressed Bruce's name. Once Bruce answered he gave a small smile. "Hi. So I saw you in the science lab today and you just looked so sexy I had to call you up. I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me."

He knew Bruce probably never had a normal high school experience, so he figured some harmless flirting over a phone call like teenagers would probably be a bit fun. "I promise only to distract you for your work only a little bit. And I'll be your science partner every time."

Bruce rubbed his eyes with one hand and shook his head at the fact that Tony couldn't last thirty seconds into the half hour process without purposely trying to rile him up. He let out a sigh and fished the card out of his baggy pants. The process feeling more extravagant than normal, the radiation always heightened his senses just for the fact that every cell in his body was working in over time, taking in the radiation and coping with it.

Once he finally got the card out of his pocket and close enough for it to register his voice. "I'd love to, but I'm kinda in an experiment right now. Maybe calling back later will be more appropriate?" he hinted nicely, but still glad that Tony was able to mess with him again. It was also appreciated since the procedure did take some time, and it got rather boring just sitting in a chair, getting to feel every cell in his body.

"It would be more appropriate, but then again, when am I ever appropriate?" He asked with a devilish smirk. He just wanted to entertain the man while he had to sit in there and deal with high levels of radiation. For once he wasn't looking for anything sexual, this was purely fun. "Hey big guy, want to play a game? Just something to pass the time, but it'll give us a chance to talk more about something other than plans for our next experiments, or the group or anything like that. A game to let us talk about something out of the norm."

"Um, okay," he said nervously of what Stark was up to. He shifted in his chair to allow one leg over the other. Looking outside the window of the testing chamber, he could see the mischievous smile that didn't aid Bruce in wanting to know what the other man was going to do. "I'll let you go first," he stated, wanted to get anything else embarrassing for the night out of the way.

"Okay then," he said his mischievous smile growing. Little did Bruce know he just gave Tony the first shot at asking him any question he wanted. He decided to start off only mildly awkward before asking things he really, really wanted to know about the man and his past. He figured if the man could answer something like this he'd be able to handle lighter questions, like who his first kiss was with or did he always know he wanted to be a scientist. "What do you find the sexiest part of me?"

Bruce pondered for a minute, his direct answer going to be his arc reactor, but he figured that would probably be offensive. The marvel of science in his chest was sexy, but what he was always drawn to elsewhere was his face. "You're cocky smile," he admitted finally, keeping his lips pursed together in the attempts to make the man blush.

"Mine turn now isn't it? Umm...what's your's about me?" he asked quietly, curious of the answer.

Tony was taken by surprise, there were a lot of things he had considered, even his smile. However his cocky smile was not on the list. He gave a small smile. He even blushed a little, only a little. Thinking about the man's question, he loved his lips, his eyes, his neck, but there was one thing that had him hook line and sinker. Only one thing that made him instantly fall in love with the man. "Your intelligence. Hearing you talk science is one of the sexiest things I've ever heard."

"My turn, hmm? How did it feel getting off today?" He asked this as his final sexual question. His next ones were going to either be about the man's interests or his past. He was glad he had started on the warm up questions.

The doctor's face instantly went to a bright red at the question, even after his mental preparations of Tony Stark was going to be asking him questions. It was impossible for him to describe how the man felt to even be able to cum. It'd was only before the incident that he was able to have any sort of fun like that. Even his session being severely limited to what he could handle, it was still the best thing he'd felt. He scratched his head and even let a lopsided smile come out to the question. "More amazing than words allow for," he said turning his head to a random corner of the room.

"Um...," he thought for a moment, "when did you think everyone else would find out about us, or when were you planning on telling them?"

Stark felt a deeper blush form on his cheeks as he heard the man's words. He was glad he could give the man that kind of pleasure. It made him feel less of a self-centered child, and more of a real boyfriend.

Tony stopped smiling the instant he heard Bruce's question, he was caught he couldn't tell Bruce any other time than the time it happened without lying. _This man is going to kill me, I know it. He won't even Hulk out he'll probably stay himself just so he can have the satisfaction. Oh god what if he never sleeps with me, that'd be worse than death!_

"W-well I figured they'd find out tonight, considering I left those hickies and I had Dummy make extra spicy food so it'd be too warm for you to keep your shirt buttoned...," he said this scratching the back of his head awkwardly knowing the man was going to yell at him before he got a chance to ask his next question. "Is it too late to say I'm sorry?"

"Yes!" Bruce yelled, almost audibly through the thick wall of lead and glass that he was behind. His tone was definitely angry, something he never did intentionally, but only amplified by all the excess gamma in his system. "I can't believe you Tony! You saw how worked up I was earlier! Was this all a game to you? Play with Banner and then show and tell?"

His breathing was heavy and his heart monitor had shot up, blaring the alarm that only echoed in the nearly empty room. Being in here wasn't safe with all the radiation if he Hulked out. On the armrest, he clenched a fist trying to hold himself back. "Power down!" he barked. He'd still have to wait in the room until he could feel his body fully adjust to the radiation difference, which only took a few minutes, but he was going to need it in order to be civil. That and to not destroy the lab they spent so much time and money on.

"I promise it wasn't a game! You were just so nervous about them finding out, I figured we might as well get it over with. You know like jumping into a cold pool." Tony's tried to defend himself, but once the man powered the machine down he was actually scared. _Oh fuck. Oh Fuck. Oh fuck. Oh Fuck. Dear god please do not let this man kill me, or dump me. _

He was to his feet in seconds ready to run, for his life. Not from the Hulk, but from Bruce. "Bruce, I'm really really sorry. I didn't know you'd get so upset. I thought it'd just be a quick 'we're together' and that'd be it. I-I didn't know that you'd be embarrassed. Please forgive me Bruce, I promise I'll do anything it takes, please forgive me!"

"No, you gave me no warning! You blindfolded me then decided to push me into the shark infested waters!" Bruce shouted while still confined to the other room. His heart monitor wasn't going down in any shape or form. He tried to do his breathing, but Stark's voice at the moment was extremely irritating and made him let out a groan of frustration. After some breathing techniques to vent, he calmed down enough to speak to Tony again.

"Not only that but you used...our time together like it was just a game...I thought it was more than that...," he said in a relatively calm manner for the man currently. There was a brutal held back anger in the tone though. Behind the anger though there was sadness in his eyes that he couldn't shake. Bruce was unable to process the fact that Stark had used their most intimate of moments to just broadcast it to everyone.

Tony was hit hard by the man's words. He really hadn't thought about it like that. It really had just been a spur of the moment thing, while Bruce was in the shower. His chest hurt, he had once again caused Bruce a large amount of pain. All he wanted now was to take it back. This was a mistake that he was definitely going to have to make up for. He took a deep breath so what he was about to say wouldn't come out sounding like he felt he had to say it to be safe. "Bruce, you're right and I'm really sorry. It was a spur of the moment thing. I hadn't planned on doing it before or while we were in the middle of our activities. I was just standing in the room thinking of how you almost said 'no' because the other members didn't know about us and made up that stupid plan. I should have just waited until you were ready to tell everyone, and I shouldn't have broadcasted our intimate life. Is there any way I can make it up you? _Any _way I can get you to forgive me?"

He was begging, this was something Tony Stark just did not do. Begging was supposed to be below him, but here he was, ready to get on his knees to apologize. Unlike women, Bruce wouldn't just accept an expensive gift. For Bruce, Tony knew he'd have to do something really sentimental.

The radiation buzz had finally stopped and he was moving out of the chair as soon as he was ready. He opened the giant door to find Stark on the floor, a depressing sight to see even if most of his agitation from the radiation hadn't worn off. His heart rate finally going down in some degree, the device on his wrist still made its annoying sound though. Bruce sighed as he gave a wry look to the man.

"Get off the floor, Tony," he said with a heavy look to his eyes, "I forgive you. I...I just wished you though that through more...I'm sorry I got so worked up...The radiation tends to do that, but it doesn't mean I wasn't angry..." The poor doctor had a very tired look to his face, after his treatments he was usually worn out with all the activity his body has to do to accommodate the excess radiation. He was even able to make eye contact with the man on the floor, Stark look genuinely sorry, but Banner was still disappointed in the man. He offered a hand to help the man up, feeling guilty from having to look down upon Stark.

Stark took the hand standing up slowly. He was so grateful that he was forgiven for his stupid actions. "Thank you. You had every right to be that angry, radiation or no radiation. I betrayed your trust and for that I'm very sorry. I love you Bruce, and those times I hurt you, I never intend to do it. Usually it's just me making a stupid plan to try and make something better. I still have to make it up to you."

Tony hugged the man gently loving that he still got to feel the man's warmth it was just amazing. He didn't know what he'd do if he lost this warmth. "I must say though, thank you for having the control and patience to shut the machine and wait so you didn't give me radiation poisoning. I know it seems like an obvious thing to you, but at that moment in time I was more afraid of you than the other guy because I had no idea what you were going to do."

"I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry...," Bruce whispered. The fact that Stark admitted to being afraid of him hit him like a punch to the gut. It felt wrong that Tony was holding him in such a way right now considering that he could still hurt time. His watch was still rather fast paced, and only just begun to slow.

"Bruce, you have no reason to apologize. Please don't feel bad when you did nothing wrong. I just need to learn how not to piss you off. Besides I want you to feel like you tell me your emotions, even when you're pissed. This has been a long night, maybe we should go to bed. That is if you still want to move in with me...," he said a bit worried. It made Tony feel worse that Bruce had apologized. That just wasn't right. He prayed that Bruce still wanted to move in with him. It would be what he deserved if Bruce didn't, but it'd probably break his heart. Nothing helped him sleep than feeling the man's warmth.

The physicist still felt guilty for his actions. His treatments were for better control, yet it just showed how easy he snapped under pressure. He broke away from Tony's hug and took his hand. Purposely, Bruce faced the other way so the one he was connected to wouldn't have to see the pain in his eyes from hurting Stark, even if it wasn't intentional.

"Where's that secret elevator?" he asked, implying he wanted to use it for the first time to journey to the other man's room. Their secret was out now, so why should there be any problem with them being together?

"Ah it's this way," he said leading the man to the elevator. While they were in the elevator he looked at the man. It was obvious he was still pained. Tony decided it was time for an experiment that he put off a long time ago. He smirked deviously raising his hands up slowly he began tickling the man's side to see if he was ticklish. It was something he had been meaning to do for a while. Knowing that it could raise the man's heart rate he stopped only a little bit after starting.

Once they were off the elevator he pulled the man into a hug and gave him a passionate kiss. "The offer still stands."

Bruce tensed up when Stark started playing with his side. It wasn't something he prepared for, but wasn't something he was really in the move for. He let out a small moan when he brushed past an area he enjoyed, but that was the extent. "Apparently I'm not ticklish," he said apologetically, sorry to disappoint the billionaire he was holding onto.

Apparently Stark was out for surprises today. The kiss he gave to the physicist felt warm and loving, even in his somber mood. Too tired for words, the doctor merely shook his head, not really in the mood to start up again for that day. He moved closer to the bed and started to undo his shirt, tossing it to the floor when he was done. His pants soon followed, but he flopped into the bed as soon as they were off.

"Goodnight Tony," he whispered as soon as he got into a comfortable position.

Though Bruce didn't take to the tickling Tony was not disappointed, he had found a new sensitive spot that he memorized for when the man was more in the mood for playing around. It didn't surprise him either that the man didn't take him up on his offer again. He was sure Bruce was exhausted.

Tony followed suit and removed his shirt and pants. Slipping into bed he wrapped his arms around Bruce like he did every night. Relaxing like that just reminded him how tired he really was. It was nice to feel the fluff support his body. Hearing the man's words he whispered, "Good night big guy, I love you."

"I love you too," Bruce mumbled, still forgiving enough to admit that before falling asleep in the warm arms of Tony Stark. The watch on his wrist finally stopped, allowing for a silence the rest of the night.


	7. Chapter 7 Pleasure and Discomfort

**Part 2 of the Thorsday update! Enjoy! Sexy bits are roped off so you'll be good if you can't handle the stress ;)**

**DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. AND I CRY EVERY NIGHT TO THIS KNOWLEDGE.**

Chapter 7- Pleasure and Discomfort

Stark woke up early in the morning, considering he hadn't had enough to drink to give him a hangover. Opening his eyes to the back of Bruce's head was always nice, but waking up to his face was nicer. Tony pulled the man closer knowing that it was a rare occasion that he woke up first. He nuzzled his face into the man's hair smelling the fruity soaps that the man always used. He had considered buying soap with bigger print so the man could choose the one he wanted, but he had grown accustomed to the smell of mixed fruits.

Whenever he woke up first Tony always had the urge to tell Bruce in his sleep the things his ego wouldn't allow him to tell the man when he was awake, but after last time he was not going to chance getting caught again. It was embarrassing the first time, and it'd probably be worse the second.

Even after his gamma induced crash, Dr. Banner still was a light sleeper. He could feel Stark moving behind him and pulling him in closer. Not that he minded, his rest allowed him to clear his head from his outburst last night. He did forgive Tony, the others were going to have to find out anyways, but the approach really did hurt and so did the reminder that the other man feared him, if ever briefly.

Bruce turned over to face Tony and gave him a light kiss on the lips followed by a weak smile. There was still worry from last night in his eyes, along with an unspoken apology that he knew the other man wouldn't accept. "Good morning," he said groggily from the sudden movement.

"Good morning, big guy," he said giving a gentle smile. He loved when Bruce actually kissed him instead of the other way around. It told him that Bruce enjoyed the relationship and wasn't just going with the flow. Tony looked down at Bruce's marked neck and chest. Somehow he managed to feel a mix of happiness and remorse. He never wanted to hurt Bruce that much again.  
"Feel like retrying that radiation treatment today?" He asked knowing that they needed to finish it soon so they could go the next level up. Stroking the man's hair gently he decided to tease him and said, "I promise you can have first go at asking me a question."

"We're going to have to redo the entire process since I had to stop it early...," Bruce sighed that he couldn't control his actions better. The physicist rolled over onto his back to look up at the ceiling, not really motivated to have another spat like last night.  
"Please no questions that'll work me up so much. Apparently, I asked the wrong question though," the man rubbed his temple trying not to make the situation any worse, yet he was managing to make it go downhill fast.

"Alright, I promise only nice questions," he said kissing the man's forehead. He was very comfortable lying there, he really didn't want to get up, but they had work to do. His devious smile appeared as he got a stupid idea in his head that he knew Bruce would probably never ever agree to. "Any chance of us working in our underwear instead of getting dressed? We're just working alone anyway, especially since we're the only ones with access to the private elevator and the labs."  
It was a stupid idea and he knew, but it seemed like something spontaneous and fun that didn't involve him touching the other man or doing something to rile him up. Besides, doing it like this meant Tony got to look at Bruce's body while he waited for the process to be over.

Bruce just shook his head, wanting to know where this man got his weird ideas for fun. He sighed as he sat up on the bed, turning his head back down to Stark in his bemusement. The doctor wasn't able to help a questioning smile to him.

"Fine, but I'm going to wear my shirt if you don't mind. Also, may I ask why?" The doctor didn't really mind having anyone see him in his underwear, years of accidental practice did that to a man. It was when he was fully exposed was when it bothered him.

Looking up at the man Tony got a nice view of his face and his smile, it was a nice sight. Tony pouted a bit, because yes he actually did mind. He loved seeing the man's body and the shirt would cover at least half of it. "Well I love seeing your body, and I figured it would make the process seem like it went by faster. Besides it feels a lot more comfortable to be in my underwear, especially when you hug me."

He was still a bit surprised that the man agreed to being in their underwear at all. It was rare the man agreed to his stupid plans. Even if it did include a shirt it was more than he expected.

"I'll still trying to cool down from yesterday, don't want to give you _everything_ you want just yet," Banner said with a huff. He got out of the bed and collected his shirt, throwing it onto himself quickly. If he was going to have to look forward to the burn out the treatments get, he was going to at least feel semi comfortable for it.

Dr. Banner did a quick stop to the bathroom to wash some cold water on his face. It would be preferable for him to stay awake while he was being radiated. After, he went to the elevator and waited for Tony to follow suit. Bruce was already in work mode, and he hoped that Stark hadn't done anything else that could push him over the edge like the day before.

Tony pouted as he grabbed their I.D. cards and followed the man to the elevator. He handed the man the card before he went into the radiation room. After helping him seal the lead door he waited for the signal to start. As soon as he turned it on he called the man's I.D. card. "So when's your birthday?"

The gamma patient regretfully took the ID card with a heavy sigh before locking the door behind him. He didn't know what would happen if he lost control, he was surprised he kept calm under yesterday's circumstances and the genius behind the glass wasn't going to make anything easier for him.

Taking his spot in the chair in the middle of the room, he rose his left hand giving the signal to start. Soon he could feel the familiar sensation of his body absorbing the gamma being emitted. Equally as soon, his ID card started up a communication line, ready for the fun to begin.

The doctor paused at the simple question. _When was the last time I kept track of that...? Not since mother...,_ he thought with a sad look in his eye. "I don't know," he admitted, "Stopped paying attention to it since I was small...I know I'm in my 40s if that makes anything better."

It hadn't occurred to Tony that birthdays were such a privilege. Banner's childhood must have been hard, the last thing on his mind was probably his birthday. It hurt the man to think about how much pain the other man had been in. Tony leaned back in his seat more. "Then what if we pick a day for you? Because there is no way I'm not going to celebrate the day of your birth."

Tony said this with a small smile, Bruce deserved to have a birthday, and it wasn't fair that he had missed so many. Tony wanted to celebrate it, let Bruce know that he was special and that his existence meant a lot to him. "What about next week?"

"Tony...," he furrowed his brow at the thought, not wanting to start up again on the ritual. "I feel like it would be better if we didn't...But if you must, please keep it something quiet." Bruce knew about the extravagant festivities Stark would have, Pepper lighted up on him and talked about Tony while he was away at the office occasionally, and getting a giant party about him wasn't really something big on his list.

Tony could see the man's furrowed brow, which usually signaled that he was becoming annoyed with whatever the billionaire was saying. Tony thought for a moment and then smiled finding a perfect birthday plan for the two of them. "So if I promise to keep it quiet then you won't get mad and you'll let me do something for your 'birthday'?"

Knowing how the man was, Tony came up with a nice intimate idea that would make the man feel special without overwhelming him. "If I keep it quiet, then you have to agree to letting me keep it a surprise without worrying about it. Deal?"

Dr. Banner let out a sigh of defeat, he knew he'd never win with Tony, but that was some of the fun of it. With a halfcocked smile he said, "Well you telling me not to worry it's just going to make me worry just that much more, but I'll have to accept." The man shook his head; his statement was the truth about anything Tony told him not to worry about. Bruce noticed though, that he hadn't gotten any questions in for a few turns.

"Looks like I'm up to three questions after all that," he smiled, even in the radiation, Stark being this odd was calming enough for him to enjoy his presence. "Do you have any more answers to any questions that I could possibly ask that will make me flip out like last night?" Bruce asked firstly to make sure to avoid any unwanted Hulk outs for the morning.

"This time I actually mean do not worry," he said reassuringly, he didn't have the devious look. For once he was being sincere that even from Banner's standpoint what he was planning wasn't too much. He was absolutely sure Bruce would love it. Maybe even enough to try and have some more 'fun' like yesterday.

"Hhmmm let me think for a moment," he said as he began going through anything he might have done that could have upset the man. After a while he had decided unless Banner would get mad that after he gave the man the hand job, he jacked off in the shower than no, he had no answers that should piss him off. "Nope, I think we're good. There's nothing that _should _upset you."

"Thank Thor," he let out a sigh of relief, though he was still worried about the added 'should' part. He thought back to last night and his behavior. To where Stark said he was afraid of not the other guy, but himself. A sad look came back across his face and he joined his hands together as they rested on his lap.

"Have you...ever been afraid of me, like you were last night...?" he asked quietly, keeping his eyes down to his knees.

Tony heard the man's words and felt a bit sad for telling him that he had been afraid. He shook his head lightly. "Bruce...When I said that I was afraid you were going to leave me. Because I was pretty sure you were going to come out of that chamber kick my ass and dump me. I hurt you and I was most afraid of losing you at that point. Getting my ass kick was just a side fear."

Once again he had hurt the man with his words. It wasn't on purpose, the word had just slipped out as a joke. He really hadn't thought the man would read so much into it, and seeing that face, it was obvious he was reading too much into it.

"I'm sorry...," he whispered. Managing to look back at Stark, the fact he was naked other than a pair of boxers bothered him, but none the less he looked at the man with a sympathetic look. Still sorry he had hurt him in any way possible. "I love you, Tony," Bruce said seriously though the glass, "I wouldn't leave you for that..."

The man took a deep breath and repositioned himself on the chair. It didn't make him feel better that Tony's fear was about him leaving, and the possible abuse hurt too. This was reminding him of someone that he would rather not become and he quickly swept the thought out of his mind, fearing that it _would_ cause him to harm Tony somehow. However, it did make him feel better that he hadn't hurt the man any further than that though.  
"Final question, how much longer do I have to be in here?" the doctor had lost track of time, all the emotions that were boiling in him, drawing them out, made it feel like time was moving infinitely slower.

"Would you stop apologizing for that? It really makes me feel bad. You were mad, you had a right to be mad. You made no threats to me, I just jumped to conclusions. You did _nothing _wrong," Tony said all this a bit frustrate it made him feel like a horrible person. Like an abusive boyfriend that made his significant other apologize for the plates that they didn't drop. Hearing the man's declaration of love put him in a better mood though. "I love you too Bruce and I'm glad our relationship is stronger than my stupidity."  
"I'd say you have about ten minutes," He said with a small smile. It was finally his turn and he had a lot of questions to ask. "What's your favorite flower?"

Bruce nodded to his remarks, he knew he was just over emotional from the radiation, but he still felt the need to apologize for that. He did get a chuckle out of Stark's comment over his stupidity. "It's hard to break an idiot, at least," he said with a teasing smile.  
"I'll be nice and ignore your first question for the second one," he said, raising a leg to rest it on his knee. "My favourite would be a chrysanthemum. They make a good tea."  
He thought for a moment, but decided to roll along with what he said last. "What's your favourite tea?"

"Now that was mean, I think we both know I'm not an idiot I just have my stupid moments, just like everyone else," he pouted a bit.  
"I like their scent. I didn't know people used them for tea." He was glad to know that. Now he knew what kind of flowers to buy Bruce. As he listened to this he pulled out his phone, hiding it, and took notes, because lord knows that Tony can't remember this stuff for the life of him. "I don't really like tea, I'm more of a coffee guy."  
"What's your favorite color?" As he asked this he realized he had never asked the man before. He had just given him green and purple things because of the Hulk, he never knew if the man even liked those colors.

Getting Stark to pout was an accomplishment, and it made him feel happy that he was getting to bother the man finally. "I already know you're a genius. How else was I supposed to get off without destroying Harlem again?" Bruce asked, the radiation making the man act smugger than he would deem appropriate.  
"Purple," he blushed. "I rather enjoyed the colour, even had multiple pairs of pants in that colour that were rather striking to say the least. Guess its kinda trademark now, but it grew on me." The physicist smiled, he regretted the days in college and working for the military wearing his very ill-fitting pants. They definitely made him stand out though.  
"Are you actually going to go to work today?" Banner asked. It was now a run on joke with Tony. After the first week of rebuilding, Stark was either late for an appointment, or didn't show up at all. So it seemed appropriate to ask the question now and again, as if to remind the billionaire to just show up.

Tony noticed the man's changed behavior and decided to ignore the smug questions. Though it could be fun to go back and forth, he preferred his timid Bruce. Sometimes when the man got really smug Tony had to hold his tongue before he took the joking too far, it was hard.  
He was quite surprised to hear the man's favorite color was purple. That just seemed too perfect. He really couldn't help but give a small chuckle. Irony was really amusing to him.  
"Nope, luckily I don't have any meetings or press conferences. Even if I did, I'm not getting dressed today." It was obvious he was serious. He really didn't feel like doing anything other than science today. It was really boring to do those demonstrations or talk to the press. "How would you feel about being my date to a benefit?"

"I'd feel nervous. Really nervous. I don't do well in big crowds...," the doctor said playing with his hands, noticing that he had been in there for the duration Tony specified earlier. He wasn't just nervous from people finding out about them, he was still nervous about the world finding out about him. Fury had given a call to General Ross and the Hulk Busters have been off duty since then, which the director had personally told Bruce and Tony about. Banner was very grateful for his actions, but he was still paranoid to years of hiding his face from the police everywhere that he was still skittish about his hunt just being called off suddenly.  
"Power down please. We're done here," he said leaning back into his chair, thinking about Stark's offer while he waiting for his cool down time to be over now. Eventually, he'd have to come out and face it, hopefully better than the way he took it yesterday.  
"When is it?" he asked hesitantly.

Tony was disappointed to hear the man's original response. He knew that when the man said he didn't do well in big crowds that meant no. It was always his roundabout way of rejecting anything that he was uncomfortable with. It was why he never took Bruce to press conferences or anything that had more than five people around them. It didn't help with the man shutting down the machine. That generally meant conversation over.  
His mood brightened up tenfold when he heard the man's question. He hesitated slightly as he said, "Tomorrow..."

The physicist nodded, knowing full well that there wasn't much time to mentally prepare himself. He'd need a week at least, but the look of Tony beaming at the prospect of him going through with it was too great. There was no way he could say 'no' now.  
A few minutes passed and all of Bruce's excited cells crashed all at once. There was a great fatigue in the man's face, something that always happened after his treatment. He helped Stark open the door to let him out and gave the man a tight hug. He was worried about the benefit, but he hoped that going could make up for his outburst last night, hoping that Stark could trust him more when they allowed everyone to know their secret.  
"I love you, Tony," he whispered into his ear after standing on the front of his feet in order to reach the other man's height.

The benefit was last minute and Tony knew it, he had intended on skipping it all together considering he wasn't going to be picking up girls nor would he be bringing a date. But now that the man was willing to go, he might as well. Plus, it was a chance for him to display his boyfriend to the world, this time he wanted to make sure that the man was prepared for the shock of having people in their business.  
He held Bruce tightly prepared to support his weight. He knew how tired the man got after treatment. Tony blushed lightly hearing the man's words. He wasn't sure if the man was too tired to stand on his own and was covering it by being affectionate, or if he was really just trying to show Tony love, either way Tony wasn't going to chance it. Picking the man up he whispered, "I love you too Bruce."  
He walked to their secret elevator and took it up to their room where he put Bruce in bed for he could rest a bit. Now was as good a time as any to discuss his intentions. "Bruce, I fully intend on letting people know about our relationship. If the press asks me questions, I will likely answer them all. If they start talking to you, I will step in so you don't have to deal with that. I also won't leave your side. There will be no chance of you getting caught alone in a crowd or being hounded. If you feel like going home you can tell me and we'll leave. But I really want people to know that not only are Pepper and I done, not only am I giving up my life as a playboy, but I found someone or me."  
He finished the last part giving one of Bruce's hands a light kiss. This time Bruce would not be blindsided by Tony's intentions and he wouldn't feel like this was just a game or anything. He was fully informed on this. Hopefully he'd still want to go after knowing it all.

The drained doctor appreciated the lift from Stark. He was exhausted, and being carried felt wonderful when he was in the arms of Tony Stark. It allowed him to rest his head in the only place that made him feel really at ease: on Stark's chest. He didn't have to worry about anything there, it was the one true place he was safe.  
On the way up to the room, the physicist had nearly fallen asleep from feeling so comfortable. He was placed on the satin bed, and finally he had to move himself. Once he was situated, Tony started telling his intentions which was a surprising relief. For once he didn't have to fear about the man's rash actions and he felt slightly more confident about the situation. But a smidge of confidence next to none, doesn't really help him out too much.  
The fatigue was getting to him, he was having a hard time staying awake while Tony talked, but he managed. When Stark finished, Bruce nodded and smiled, happy the man had actually shared his plan with him for once. Banner finally closed his eyes to sleep, also grateful of Stark's odd idea of just wearing their underwear in the lab so now he didn't have to undress. Before he could drift off to sleep fully, he said, "Thank you." And with that, Bruce passed out.

Tony smiled at the sleeping man. It seemed Bruce got a lot more sleep since coming to Stark Tower. This made Tony very happy considering when he first came the only time he slept well was when he passed out from emotion overload. For once, Tony decided it'd be a good idea to get some work done. Going over to one of the desks he began checking up on sales, they were a little low for his liking, but nothing to flip out over. He might actually have to go into work and advertise it a bit himself. He had to admit, Pepper does a very good job of keeping the company floating, especially when he wasn't making a large spectacle of himself.

The iron Avenger then moved on to working on some possible improvements to his suit. He wanted to make sure he was here when Bruce woke up, especially if something happened. While the man slept he got a lot of experiments done, even some involving the gamma radiation. He wondered if these treatments were really helping his boyfriend. If they were doing nothing, then it wasn't worth taking up the little energy he did have. It obviously took a lot for him to keep himself regulated so these treatments probably made it even harder on him.

After a few hours, the doctor finally stirred and righted himself up on the bed. He felt much more rested, but his head spun from the sudden movement. Scratching his head, Bruce gets up and goes to the corner of the room to find Tony working, a rare oddity to find him doing on his own. Bruce leaned on his shoulder to hold him up some while he looked at the monitor to find blueprints for the Iron Man suit.

"Playing around with your suit?" he asked quietly. There was still a sleepy look in his eyes, but his body was ready to continue working for the day.

Tony smiled when he felt the man's weight on his shoulder. Once again he wasn't sure if he was doing it to be cute and affectionate, or if he was doing it because he was tired. From the sound of the man's voice it was the late. "Yeah, figured I could trick it out a bit. Nothing special just some spinning rims."

He turned his head to take advantage of their close proximity and kissed the man's cheek gently. Tony could feel the man's warmth and it relaxed him, even though he was still worried about the man's wellbeing. "How are you feeling big guy? I know that was a lot of radiation to take in."

Bruce chuckled at Stark's modifications. Giving the man any more attention would just go straight to the man's head. He also enjoyed being this close to Stark, and the warm kiss he received. After yesterday's excitement he appreciated the love he could receive. However, he didn't appreciate it being broadcasted.

"I'm okay for now," he said while returning the favour with a sweet kiss to Stark's lush lips that rested next to his head.

"You hungry? I know we haven't eaten anything today. I'm sure Dummy could handle bringing some cereal and milk." Every time they did the radiation treatment, Tony either had Dummy bring them something so simple even Tony could handle it or he'd order in. He really didn't want Bruce to have to try to stomach awful food after having his energy sucked out of him. "Or we could order in some pizza or Chinese or something."

Tony had seriously considered getting a real cook, but Dummy had saved his life, which meant he wasn't going to make the machine obsolete nor would he mess with its programing. It was enough to save him, so that was enough to keep him from being upgraded.

"I would appreciate some tea right now, might make the room stop spinning. Food sounds like a good idea. I'll have whatever you want," he smiled lightly, a slight blush on his face. It still seemed odd that he could be this close to the man, but it felt amazing. He could smell Stark's sweet scent and feel his warmth. It was perfect, he was still adjusting to all the contact he did with him though, not that he didn't enjoy it.

"JARVIS please order two orders of shrimp fried rice, from the usual Chinese place," He said to the system. "Also a cup of tea and a glass of brandy please."

"Yes, sir," the machine answered in its robotic butler voice. "It'll be about thirty minutes."

"That'll be just fine," he said with a small smile. "You know Bruce, I was planning on having a wonderfully hot make-out session with you during those thirty minutes, but you still seem a bit tired."

Just because he didn't want to push the man too far, didn't mean he wasn't going to tease him a bit. Nor was he going to let the man forget his insatiable nature. He loved Bruce, but Tony was Tony and he still enjoyed the physical aspect of their relationship.

"Is that so?" he asked placing an arm around Stark's chest from behind. It wasn't often he got to tease the man, but when he did he wanted to make it an enjoyable experience. That and his still groggily mind wasn't processing the fact that he was being pretty forward and intimate about the situation. He did know that he was enjoying his efforts, and having Stark so close was driving his mind crazy especially after having release for the first time in ages. It was an experiment he was willing to duplicate.

"What're we going to do then?" he whispered into his ear, his arm moving up and down along Stark's torso.

* * *

Tony's body tensed up feeling the man's arm. A light blush appeared on his face as he felt the man's arm moving and his breath on his ear. It was amazing how quickly the man could turn him on, with just the simplest things. It was a little embarrassing to be honest; it was like he was a teenager who couldn't control himself. With Bruce he almost couldn't.

"Yes...that is so," he said less confident than usual. It wasn't that he wasn't confident; he just couldn't summon up his voice as easily as usual with this surprise attack of sexiness. "Well first things first, some wonderful foreplay, where I am likely to leave more hickies, just not on your neck this time."

Hopefully bringing that up wouldn't put Bruce out of this rare mood. It really wasn't often that he initiated this kind of thing, and when he did Tony took full advantage of it.

"Maybe," he said smugly. Not that he didn't love Stark claiming his body, there was just something he wanted to try out first. There was a full blush on his face at the prospect, still remembering how intimate he was being, but loving it all the same.

"I do believe that your offer still stands." Bruce remembered Stark's offer to mark him last night. At the time, he was uncalled for, but now it was tempting. It did remind him how he never really pleasured his lover before making him feel bothered with himself for not taking Stark into consideration when he finally got release. Hopefully, that would change.

Tony was shocked to hear Bruce's words. This was not his usual Bruce Banner, but he loved it. Tony smiled and nodded, "The offer most definitely still stands."

Because his back was to him, he couldn't see Bruce's face. This was one of the downsides the holographic monitor, he couldn't see the man's reflection. So he couldn't tell if this was so sick joke, or if he was being completely serious. God Tony hoped with all his heart the man was being serious.

"Excellent," Bruce said, moving his head lower so his lips were against the man's neck finally. There was a smile on his face and ran slow kisses up and down Stark's neck. He was grateful yet again for his suggestion to stay in their underwear. It was less work to get off all the troublesome fabric that way. With the arm wrapped around the man, Banner continued to play with the man's chest. He enjoyed feeling Tony tense up underneath him, which caused him to tease more, playing with his neck by stroking it with his other hand.

After some fulfilling teasing, Bruce finally started sucking at Tony's neck. The sensation of control over the man felt wonderful and his skin was delicious. With what felt like a successful make, he gave a rough bite to the spot and moved to the other side to repeat the process. He managed to move both hands so that they were playing with the man's chest, one with the man's side, the other playing with an erect nipple. Feeling Stark's body was amazing, and incredibly sexy. It wasn't long before Bruce was feeling an erection in his boxers while he was pressed up against the other man's back.

Bruce pulled back to admire his work, two nice sized hickies covering each side of Stark's neck. He went over each spot, blowing lightly on the moistened skin and watched Stark squirm in his chair.

"Having fun?" the doctor asked with a smile, finally turning the man around to get a proper view of him.

A shiver went up Tony's spine as Bruce kissed his neck. He worked to keep his moans quiet, it wasn't that he had never had his neck played with he just never let anyone go long enough to give him a hickey. Tony gasped letting out a loud moan when Bruce bit his neck. All this, along with having his nipples played, which was a first for him, was turning him on incredibly fast. He couldn't believe that _his _Bruce was doing this. Since they started doing stuff like this, Bruce had never taken the initiative to play with with Tony's body as well, and considering he hadn't had anyone besides himself trying to pleasure him since before the alien attack, he was a bit sensitive.

The shiver that had previously went up his spine returned when Bruce blew on his neck lightly. The cold sensation was just, so good. He was already developing an obvious hard-on, which he would have been embarrassed that Bruce saw when he was turned around, until he saw Bruce's matching one.

"Oh God," he mimicked playfully as a response.

"No wonder you like being called that," Banner teased before pulling the man in for a lustful kiss, exploring the man's mouth. His hand running over Stark's chest yet again. Bruce pulled away, licking his lips as he retracted.

"That chair cannot be comfortable," he said, trying to get Tony to relocate. In the process, he removed his watch before it started to fire off. The other thing he noticed was that they hadn't taken precautions of anyone trying to come in.

"Oh and JARVIS, would you mind locking the door?"

"Not at all, sir," the robotic voice sounded, alerting that he fulfilled the request.

Tony loved the feeling of Banner's tongue in his mouth. It always tasted sweet even when the man had eaten Dummy's death food. The combination of Bruce's words and him removing his watch signaled to Tony, that they weren't just going to fool around, they were really going to have fun.

Tony stood up ready to just yank down his underwear and get to it, but this time Bruce was leading them. So he wasn't going to move anywhere until Bruce either suggested it or told him to. "I hadn't noticed until you said something, I have something that's a bit more uncomfortable than a chair."

Bruce rolled his eyes and offered his hand to the man. "I don't think I want to know what that is, but I think the bed will do for now," he offered with a bow, his other arm gracefully in front of him. Tony took the lead and sat on the edge of the bed, upon which Bruce pushed him down with his own weight and straddled the man around his waist.

Resuming where he last left off, Bruce kissed Stark again, enjoying the sensation and taste of the other man's mouth. With his right hand he supported his body on the bed, with his left he used it to dance about on Tony's chest, lingering over a spot whenever he would get a nice response.

The man was being very forward and surprising Tony every second. It was amazing. Stark kissed the man back tangling the fingers of one of his hands in Bruce's hair and his other hand on loosely on the back of Bruce's neck.

With the man's hands roaming he let out small moans every time the man's hand went over the spot. It felt so good.

Stark's moans felt like a victory, and boy did they sound sexy. Each moan made him have to find where the sound came from, and to use his tongue to play with Tony's. He enjoyed playing with the spot on Tony's side, but it was becoming very evident that the man he was on was getting very riled up with an erection poking into his thigh, not that Bruce didn't have his own pressed up against the man. But it wasn't his turn yet, he still wanted to repay the man for yesterday.

Bruce moved his hand down to start stroking Tony's penis lightly, just to give a taste of what he could do for the man. It was a power the man didn't have before and he was rather much enjoying himself with it. Getting to have Stark wriggling underneath him was more than accomplishment for him.

"Still enjoying yourself?" he asked looking into Tony's eyes after admiring his body. Tony was sexy, and it was being shown in his own problem that was against the man's navel.

Tony gave a small gasp at the sudden contact to his erect penis. It felt too good, as was evident by his moans. The pleasurable feeling was only heightened by the fact that this was the first time Bruce had touched his manhood. This was probably the best hand job he had received and it hadn't even started yet. It wasn't really a hand job yet, more of experimental touching, but it felt amazing all the same.

"What...do you think?" He moaned lightly. He could feel the man's erection pressing against Tony's naval. It was good to know Bruce was enjoying this almost as much as he was. "You seem to be having fun."

"I'm having fun alright," Bruce smiled before kissing the man again. Not lustfully this time, but lovingly. While doing that, he finally gripped at Stark's erection and gave a nice tug downwards. He could feel the man beneath him shiver and moan at the pleasure. He brought his hand back up and played with the underside of the head with his thumb, enjoying the sight of Stark completely in his control.

"Want me to keep going?" he asked for permission, still self-conscious about touching the other man. His problems with touching Stark were very overshadowed at the moment of wanting to please him. Even when he was being dominate, he couldn't help but make sure his partner was going to oblige to let him feel something like he did from him the previous night.

Tony smiled kissing his boyfriend back just as lovingly. His moans were getting louder as the man increased the movements and pressure. Hearing the man ask that question he looked up at the man with the 'are you fucking kidding me?' eyes. "Hell, fuck, yes!"

It was a bit more than he needed to inform the other man that he had permission, but Tony had no idea what in Bruce's right mind would make him want to stop. It was probably the stupidest question he had ever heard. However, there was no way in hell he was going to tell Bruce that, for fear that he'd stop.

The physicist diverted his eyes from the man, the look he gave was so snarky it was hilarious. Bruce laughed, but continued on, stroking down again to bring it back up. Each stroke faster than the last. Occasionally he would surprise him with nice long teases of his thumb against his head.

The doctor was still amazed by the room. The fact that he had gotten well in control during this sort of intimate acts was astounding. It didn't stop his regular course of breathing though, making sure everything was regulated and right with the world. It was, except for maybe the trouble in his own boxers, but that would have to be dealt with later.

The billionaire felt the tight coil in the pit of his stomach as warmth pooled there. He was near climaxing and he knew it. Remembering how last time happened he decided to warn Bruce, especially since it could surprise him. "Br-Bruce...I'm going to cum."

His warning seemed just on time, because almost as soon as he said it he came. He closed his eyes as he came down from his high, enjoying the afterglow. Opening his eyes a little he pulled Bruce down for a kiss. "That...was amazing. Thank you, Bruce. Where did you learn to give a hand job like that?"

Bruce managed to cup his hand over Stark's penis, catching the fluid that came out within moments of it being announced. He smiled and enjoyed the fantastic afterglow kiss the man gave him. Licking his lips, he rolled over without harming his boyfriend or causing the mess to get on the bed. He finally could stop to really take in Tony's handsome body, which was quite sexy, but this only caused further problems for his own erection which was starting to hurt from being neglected.

"I'd be lying if I said it was from practice," he gave a shy grin, but was happy to hear the complement. "Glad to see that this experiment turned out to be successful."

Once the afterglow had gone, Tony remembered they had ordered food about twenty minutes ago. He grabbed a couple tissues from the box on his nightstand and wiped the man's hands off for him. Looking over at the other man's body he saw the problem that had been neglected while Tony was being taken care of. He smiled forming an idea. "How about another experiment? My theory is that I can finish you off before the food gets here."

He moved so he could hover over the man and kissed him gently. Lightly he returned the man's favor sucking on the base of the man's neck. "What do you say we try that blow job again?"

Bruce smiled, slightly embarrassed now that Tony was going to watch over his every move now. He gave a small moan that he had been suppressing every time he gave the man a kiss, and was going to appreciate some release. Regulating his breath, he was going to have to watch it carefully now that Stark was going to be in control.

"I'd love to see if you could prove that," he gave another grin and pulled off his dress shirt that had been hanging on him.

"Oh I will most definitely prove it," Tony said as he pulled the man's boxers off and tossed them somewhere random. After moving down he gave a slow long lick to the man's penis, tasting the pre-cum when he reached the tip. He sucked lightly on the tip, before taking more into his mouth.

It was still not something he was entirely used to, considering this was only the second time he had had a penis in his mouth. It took a couple minutes, but considering he was on a time limit he moved as fast as he could to getting most of it into his mouth. He began bobbing his head while sucking roughly hoping the man was still unused to the feeling enough to cum quickly.

"O-oh god!" Banner laid his head back against the bed while he grabbed at the bed, not expecting Tony to get to work that fast. The man could feel his heart rate double at the action. Biting his lip, he breathed through his nose to make sure he'd keep himself regulated as the man only got more aggressive. His body was still overly sensitive from the years of neglect, only making Stark's work easier.

Bruce's moans were suppressed by his own accord. Stark pulled out to tease the man like he did with his neck. Tony gave a nice slow stream of air up and down Bruce's shaft, stopping at the head, the action only making the doctor squirm and gasp in pleasure.

Tony smiled as the man squirmed under him once again. As good as it felt to have the Bruce's lips on him; it felt good to be in control again. Seeing how much the other man squirmed he decided to play with the tip more. He began tonguing the slit gently before going back to sucking on the head more.

Hoping to make sure his theory wasn't disproven he decided to take a step towards the bolder side. Tentatively he began to fondle the man's testicles. He took more into his mouth again sucking more. He figured he had about 3 more minutes before his time was up.

"Warning. Dr. Banner's heart rate has elevated to 170 beats per minute. Please use caution," JARVIS stated overhead. The warning came on as soon as the playboy started playing with Bruce's balls. It felt amazing and was unexpected, so the warning didn't come without surprised.

The good doctor could feel the warmth pooling down in his abdomen again, a sign he was going to come soon. His eyes were closed as he moaned on the bed, unable to keep control of himself. He heard the warning, but he believed that Stark's theory was correct and proceeded with it.

"I-I'm gonna cum soon," he moaned out as the man kept pleasuring him with his tongue.

"Warning. Dr. Banner's heart rate has elevated to 185 beats per minute. The emergency action 'green giant' is under watch. Please use extreme caution," JARVIS alerted after a sharp blare from the unknown speakers.

Tony completely ignored the warning. The man could Hulk out for all he cared as long as he got to finish this blow job. Hearing the man's warning he inwardly smiled. He figured he had about one minute and he was not going to disprove this theory. Gently he grazed his teeth over the sensitive skin trying to finish the man off quickly.

A giant wave of pleasure passes over the scientist as he came into the mouth of Tony Stark. Banner pants living in the ecstasy of his release, eventually leading to his regular controlled breathing, and gives a smile. He ruffles Stark's hair as he tries to sit up.

"Well, I'd say that your experiment was a success. If you want to prove your theory though, we're going to have to do multiple trails," he gave a sweet smile, appreciating what the man had done.

Tony swallowed the salty substance that came into his mouth. Wiping his mouth he smiled up at the man ruffling his hair. He wrapped his arms around the man's waist nuzzling his stomach. "I have no problem with that."

"Sir, the food is here," JARVIS said into the room.

"Inform the delivery guy, I'll be down momentarily," He responded getting up and pulling on a pair of jeans on the floor from the night before.

"Yes, sir."

"I'll be back with food, Dummy should be up here with drinks soon." He leaned down and gave the man a loving kiss before leaving to get the food. Soon enough, he was downstairs face to face with a young Chinese kid. The poor boy was amazed at the large building, but seeing _the _Tony Stark coming down in only a pair of jeans probably gave messages that he was currently living up to his name. He paid the boy and gave a generous tip before going back to the room making sure Thor didn't catch on that he had more food in the Tower.

"Well I successfully scared a teenaged Chinese boy," He said handing the man his food and a pair of chopsticks. "Poor boy looked like he was amazed at the building, then disgusted by my attire."

* * *

Returning the kiss, Bruce held onto Stark's waist before he pulled back. While he was gone, he threw on his boxers and dress shirt again, still a modest man. Dummy soon rolled in with a tray bearing their drinks. The doctor grabbed his warm tea, enjoying the temperature on his skin, and put Stark's on a night stand by the bed for when he returned.

"Thank you Dummy," he said with a light smile. The robots only response was a twist of what seemed to be his head before he rolled out of the room. While the robot scooted out of the room, Stark came back with a gift of food. The physicist laughed slightly at the news, he could only imagine the face on the kid.

"He has reason to be terrified, looks like you were punched in the neck a few times," Bruce teased, taking a sip of his drink, the tea feeling very soothing after all their strenuous activities. He got up to hand Tony his drink from where he put it in exchange from some nourishment. Between being radiated to the point of exhaustion and then some pleasurable activities, he had gotten pretty hungry.

"What? Oh right, forgot about that," He said touching his neck gently. He gave a small smile remembering the man's actions. It had been the first time Bruce had pleasured him, and boy did it pleasure him. It had felt amazing.

"Thanks," He said taking the glass of brandy from the man. Usually he didn't like to be handed things, but he could deal with it for Bruce. He sipped his drink then sat on the bed to begin enjoying his food. "You know if we get to do that every time we order Chinese, then I suggest we put it on speed dial."

"JARVIS isn't speed dial I take it?" Bruce laughed. He took one of the boxes and a pair of chopsticks from Stark and dug in. He was famished, but he managed to juggle the box, his tea, and eat with chopsticks.

"Anything else to do today? Do we need to make sure everyone else doesn't destroy the Tower by accident or are we good?" he asked after swallowing a mouthful of rice.

"We probably should, but that involves getting dressed and that's work. We both know how I handle work," he said taking a big bite of his food. He was starved and this tasted like a steak dinner compared Dummy's cooking. Halfway through his box of food there was a knock at the door. Considering he was the one with pants on he set his food aside to see who it was.

Steve stood at the door waiting patiently for it to be opened. Stark and Dr. Banner hadn't been down for breakfast nor lunch and they had just missed dinner. Nobody had seen them around, he figured they were in a lab, but when he finally got to asking JARVIS he had said they were in Stark's bedroom. When the door finally opened Steve was about to immediately begin chewing out Tony until he saw his attire and two large red hickies on his neck. _Oh God. I interrupted _that! _Now Dr. Banner is leaving marks on Tony too? I thought he was more mature than that, that's just wrong! _

"Uh can I help you?" Tony asked looking at the man with a rising blush. It was obvious the man was taking in his choice of dress. Since it was taking so long, Tony decided to get rid of him. "Look you're kind of interrupt-"

"Never mind! It can wait!" Steve left quickly. Hearing that he was interrupting he had to get out of there. _That's just sick, and leave it to Stark to make it obvious that they were in the middle of intercourse. It's wrong to do it out of wedlock and especially wrong with another man. Oh god is that what they've been doing all day? _Steve went down to the training floor to punch out all discomfort and embarrassment he felt.

Banner peaked at the door way from where he was standing. He was still shoveling food into his mouth, but he could make out that Steve was at the door. The abrupt leaving of the spangled Avenger was surprising and disheartening. Most likely Stark's attire didn't really put the other man in a good mood and he left.

When Stark came back Bruce took a nice mouthful of tea to wash down the rice to talk. He couldn't help but ask, "Is he going to be okay?"

"I don't know, all I know is whatever it was he said it could wait. So I'm just going to ignore it and enjoy my food," he emphasized this by putting a large mouthful of rice into his mouth. He sipped at his brandy and smiled at the man. "I'm guessing when I was about to say he was interrupting dinner, he thought I meant he was interrupting sex."

He laughed a bit. "Like I'd stop having sex with you to answer the door. Not even if there was another world crisis. The world and whoever was at the door would just have to wait until we were done."

Bruce had to shake his head at the last comment while he laughed. It was nice to see the man dedicated, but the idea seemed too outlandish to him. But his mind still went to Steve. The man had only come back to life recently and surely he was adjusting to the difference in culture, but he hoped the man wasn't too offended. Of course, sometimes it's hard to be not offended while dealing with the Tony Stark, and knowing how hostile Stark is to the man, it would probably be a good idea for him to mediate instead.

"I should probably go check up on him later," the physicist said after his little fit. The continued to eat his rice until sadly disappointed by the empty box when he was done. It wasn't like the man was starving now, but he'll live. Gingerly he sipped at his tea while he waited for Tony to finish.

Tony finished soon after Bruce grateful to have food in his stomach. He really didn't like the idea of Bruce going to talk to Rogers alone, but he was sure if he expressed that Bruce would either laugh at his jealousy or get mad and tell him how stupid he was. Sighing he nodded. "Maybe you should, we can't be a team if he can't be in our presence long enough to tell us whatever he was coming here to tell us, but if you're going to talk to him, then it's going to cost ya."

He smiled at bit before downing the rest of his brandy. Moving closer to the other man he he put an arm around his shoulders nibbled on his ear gently before saying. "If you want to go check on him it's going to cost you a sexy kiss."

"There always seems to be a price. Am I allowed a tab yet?" Banner asked sarcastically, but finished his tea so he could move over without worry. He placed the mug on the floor and proceeded to wrap his arms around Tony's neck. Bruce got to stare at Stark's beautiful brown eyes, the obvious sexual intent showing off in them, and kissed the man passionately. There was a mix between fried food, alcohol, something very salty, and Stark's own sweet taste managed to dominate the bunch. He pulled back to rub his head against his boyfriend's and whispered, "I love you. Thank you for today." An obvious blush was on his face that Stark could easily feel against his cheek.

The doctor moved off the bed to fetch the pants he wore the day before that were thrown across the room. He buttoned up his shirt first and then pulled up his baggy pants other the dressy attire. Going back to the desk, he found his watch and placed it back in its proper spot. His communicator was next to the item and he pocketed it, just in case.

"Do I look presentable?" he asked turning around, trying to smooth out the sex hair he most likely had.

"Do you really want a tab that you'll have to pay for all at once at the end of each month?" He asked before receiving his kiss. He loved the taste of Banner, even right after he drank tea. He especially loved when he could feel the man's blush against his face. "I love you too, Bruce."

Though he didn't enjoy Bruce in clothing, he did find it quite amusing to see the man trying to cover up their previous activities. "You look fine, I'm sure how you look is a hell of a lot more presentable then my attire answering the door. Go see what's wrong with him and then come back and save me, because I'm going to get some work done."

"'Tony Stark' and 'work done', you don't hear that every day," the doctor chuckled, "and I'm sure that tab would be wonderful." With a smile, he left the room to go find the captain. He was nervous about talking to the man, of course, but it wouldn't be fair to the team if one of the leaders was unable to work with the rest of the team. Bruce walked down the hall until he reached the elevator which promptly opened for him as soon as he was in front of it.

"JARVIS, where is Mr. Rogers located at currently?" he asked the AI system as he entered the elevator.

"He's in the training room, sir. Would you like me to bring you down to that level?"

"Yes, please."

When the doors opened, it was obvious to see and hear that the computer was right. Captain America was going at his punching bags like there was no tomorrow. Bruce started to fiddle with his hands, nervous that the captain was very on edge at the moment. He stepped forward out of the elevator and stood a distance watching Steve. Not wanting to interrupt, he waiting for the man to finish, he playing with his hands while collecting his thoughts to talk to the man.

Steve heard the elevator come down. Not knowing who it was he gave the bag in front of him one more hard punch, destroying it. As he turned he heard the machine rotating in a new bag. When he saw who was there he blushed so bright red that it reached his ears. He wanted to turn back to the bag so he wouldn't have to face the man, but it was obvious he had something he needed to talk to him about.

"Dr. Banner," he greeted lightly. It took all he had to keep up his usual polite behavior. It was hard to see the man as the genius Dr. Banner with a doctorate in nuclear physics, he couldn't even see the Hulk anymore. All he could see were those damn hickies from yesterday.

"Mr. Rogers," Dr. Banner said politely, still keeping his hands preoccupied. He noticed the blush on the man's face when he turned around, even if he wasn't directly trying to look at him. Bruce wasn't one for knowing what to do in situations like these. Situations like this were things he actively avoided, but considering that Tony was the alternative, it was better that he was down there currently.  
"Um...You came to the room early," he said pointing up at the ceiling while keeping his hands together at his navel. "I was eating some rice, but it sounded like you had something important to tell Mr. Stark."

"It-it was really nothing, just nobody had seen you guys all day and well just making sure you guys didn't die. Especially since you weren't at any of the meals, or whatever Tony calls the stuff that contraption makes," Steve said this avoiding eye contact like a champ. He probably would have been able to compete with Bruce himself. It then occurred to him that the man had just said he had been eating rice.  
"So I was um...interrupting dinner?" He asked this which he unintentionally made it obvious that he had thought he had been interrupting them in the middle to intercourse. "Well that was quite rude of me. I'm sorry."

"It was no problem at all," Bruce said. If it wasn't for the fact he was avoiding Steve's eyes, he would have noticed how much Steve didn't want him to be there instantly. The man was keeping a relatively cool demeanor otherwise.  
"Sorry for not being seen much today," he apologized sincerely. The physicist scratched his head debating on trying to explain himself, which he eventually did agree to and went back to intertwining his own fingers.  
"We were running a gamma radiation treatment for me this morning. It's um...well...in theory is supposed to help me keep my mind as the other guy. The treatments however, take a lot out of me and so I was recovering for most of the afternoon. I was surprised myself to find Tony working when I woke up, so I assume he was doing that while I was out. We had no intentions on worry everyone though. I'm sorry," he apologized again. In explaining the treatment, he tried to simplify it as much as possible so the captain could try to understand what he was talking about.

"No apology necessary. We know you guys actually have work to do." Steve wanted this conversation to be over, they were both being entirely too polite and dancing around each other. Steve decided to be the first to break the chain. "So um... you and Stark, huh? You're really together? Like together-together?"  
It wasn't something he really wanted to know, but if there was any chance this was just an inappropriate joke he'd take it. It just wasn't natural and he really couldn't see the doctor doing anything else that could set him apart from other humans.

"Umm...yes," Bruce was caught slightly off guard by how forward the question was. It also surprised him that he still needed to ask the question considering dinner last night. "I thought it was made clear, but maybe I was still in shock too," he gave a small chuckle. It was true that he was basically dazed for the entirety of that evening after Barton's outburst, but he was sure that Tony made it clear they were together.  
"Um...Mr. Rogers, is this going to be a problem...?" he managed to ask after looking at a corner of the training facility, his face as red as Steve's now.

"N-No! Why would this be a problem?" His response was quick and awkward. He was lying through his teeth. This bothered him to all hell, but he couldn't outright say that. It was quite obvious by their behavior that this must be a common thing in these times. He'd have to bite his tongue for now.  
"I-I just thought it might be some joke that Tony was playing. I mean last I heard he was a major playboy and ehem heterosexual. I figured that you might have been too shocked by the comment to correct his joke at the time." He really could not handle this. This was a time where so many traditions were blurred; he just didn't think the lines of proper behavior would be blurred within his group.

"Well, considering the time period you're from, this is...shocking news I'm sure of. That and the fact that you don't seem quite yourself since you've found that out, it just seems like there could be potential issues..." the scientist said. His over analytical mind was in gear, and hopefully that wouldn't scare the poor cap too much. This was a fine line he was treading, he didn't want to cross it and hurt everyone here, or lose a teammate.  
"Tony is apparently bi," Bruce stated. "As am I. I do thank you for all the concern Captain, but hopefully this won't trouble everyone. Um...I also hope that you'll be okay with everything," the small man finished. Unsure of what else to say, he scratched the back of his head, hoping Steve would take everything well.

"E-everything is perfectly fine, no issues." _You're lying. _"Just surprised knowing his reputation." _You're lying. You're lying and you know it. You know you're natural instinct is telling you to either beat them straight or just stop associating completely. _This was just too awkward and he really wanted to get out the situation.  
"W-well, I'm pretty tired, I think I'm going to go up to my room and get some sleep." _That's it. Luckily it's Dr. Banner and not Stark. Dr. Banner will let you go Stark would push you into admitting your...discomfort with all this._

"Alright...," Bruce said noticing Steve's complete discomfort on the topic. "I'll go up with you. Mr. Stark is probably getting into some sort of trouble now that he said he'd be working." He tried to make a joke, but he only scratched his head and the quiet Steve only made it worse.  
He walked the man to the elevator, making sure not to look at the man for the fear of him breaking upon eye contact with the man. JARVIS took Bruce to his room first since it was on a lower level compared to the 91st floor Steve was on. Before he got off, he turned to the man with a worried look on his face.  
"I do hope you have a good night Mr. Rogers," he said cautiously. The physicist got off the elevator and gave a small parting wave as the door closed on the man. He then proceeded to Tony's room to find him on his holographic computer again.  
"That...could have gone better," he announced as he walked over to the busy Stark.  
Steve gave a nod in response as the man got off the elevator. As soon as he was gone he let out a sigh of relief. That was way too much and Dr. Banner was way too close to finding out the extent of Steve's discomfort. Going to his room he laid on his bed and immediately fell asleep.  
"What happened?" Tony asked looking up from his work. He had a concerned expression. There were a lot of situations for Bruce that end in 'that could have gone better' but usually the Cap had that traditionally politeness to him that allowed Banner to handle the situation better. "Do I need to kick his ass?" Tony teased trying to lighten the other man's mood.

"Preferably not," Bruce said with a warning glance. "He seems very...discomforted by our announced relationship. Although, he insists otherwise." He let out a sigh and wrapped his arms around Stark's neck from behind. His warmth comforting, it was going to bother him if Rogers couldn't work with them based on their relationship, but hopefully the man just needs some time.  
"What are you working on?" he looked up from Tony's shoulder, trying to get his mind off the man.

"Well fuck him. He can get over it," He said very sternly. This was his response to anyone that had a problem with their relationship; Steve just got some extra hostility in the voice. Feeling Banner's arms come around him as he worked caused him to tense up. Just as quickly he relaxed and just enjoyed the warmth. _Fuck, I'm conditioned now. _  
"Just checking out the guest list for the benefit and making sure all the festivities are set up properly." He lifted one of the man's hands to his lips and kissed it gently. "It all looks good. And you my love look great."  
He said this turning the chair so he could face the man. He knew how these type of things upset Bruce and he wanted to help him relax a bit. "We should probably get some sleep, since we have the benefit tomorrow."

"Feel like that's all I've been doing for the past couple of weeks," Bruce said sort of somberly. He didn't mind the tests. It did bother him not knowing the results. It was burning in his mind whether or not all he was doing had any purpose to them, but it wasn't like he had the option of testing it out. Even some sort of super attack on the Earth were the Avengers were needed felt very wrong to wish upon just to see if he could think while as the other guy. The physicist gave a heavy sigh, but walked away so he could undress.  
His shirt and pants came off easy enough; he also remembered to take out his ID card from his pocket and placed it on the nightstand where he felt his glasses on. Bruce crawled into the bed and waited for Tony so he could be wrapped around by his warmth yet again. It was the only thing going to take his nervousness off the benefit dinner for the night.  
Once Tony got situated behind him like every night, he pulled the covers of the green blanket over them and snuggled back into Stark's chest. "Goodnight, Tony. I hope tomorrow," he paused thinking of an ideal situation for him possibly losing control and Hulking out, "goes okay." There was a definite nervousness in his voice, but Stark's warmth was making everything leave his mind. Calm, he was calm and he fell asleep soon afterwards.

Tony could tell that the treatments were taking a toll on Bruce. With the man in his arms he felt like he could protect him from anything, but that was just wasn't true. No matter what, Bruce had to go through these treatments until they knew whether or not they were helping. But he sure hated to see the man so crestfallen about this. He originally planned to keep a close watch on Bruce all night during the benefit, now he knew he wouldn't be letting go of his hand. "Good night big guy, I love you." With that he fell asleep.


	8. Chapter 8 Stand Off

**Sorry for the late post! You get a double helping since yesterday was busy for me. Enjoy yourselves everyone!**

**WE DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. WE'RE SORRY WE CANNOT BE THIS AMAZING.**

Chapter 8 - Stand Off  
Amazingly, Bruce woke up from another dreamless sleep. It had been happening ever since he came to the Tower and had his nights in the arms of Tony. It was a relief though; he would haven't to have his visions of the other guy or his past haunting him while he tried to sleep. It was the main reason he became an insomniac to begin with. He rolled over and kissed the sleeping man's forehead.  
"Good morning," he whispered with a grin to a good start to the day. His mind was off the subject of the benefit which was the only reason why he could be so calm currently.

Tony woke up to the kiss on his forehead and the nice greeting. Opening his eyes he saw the beautiful brown eye of Bruce Banner, the only better way to wake up would be to another surprise attack of sexiness. He tightened his arms slightly to hold the man closer.  
"Good morning," he replied sleepily. It was obvious that he had been sleeping deeply, because he was having a hard time waking up. "Too early, even for a lack of hangover. There's no treatment today, no incentive to get up this soon."

"I know, thankfully that's true," Bruce gave a small smile. He enjoyed that Stark kept pulling him in closer, more warmth and love for him. He burrowed his head into the man's chest, feeling relaxed being there.  
"I thought we might grace everyone with our presence at breakfast, since we were missing in action yesterday. Might be a good idea to warn them when we're going to have long periods of random hiatuses," he said with a smirk. Banner was enjoying his time alone with Stark, but now that the cat was out of the bag he might as well show his face around the team. "Plus we might want to check the stock of food considering Thor must have run out of Pop Tarts by now."

Tony knew the man was right, it was more than rude for them to disappear, but then again Tony never cared about being rude. Feeling the man snuggle into his chest he moved a hand up to tangle his fingers in the man's now soft brown hair. He kissed the top of the man's head gently.  
"It's going to cost ya," he said with a smirk this was definitely going to become a habit. How he loved when he got to take advantage of Bruce's polite nature. Sometimes the man was just too nice.

Bruce shrugged, knowing the routine by now. It was just to be expected from the giant corporation owner to want a fair trade in everything, but it was nice to see Stark going to go through with his offer. The man would feel rude from abandoning his team yet again.

"Nothing is ever free," he chuckled to himself.

"Nope, not even charities. You have to suffer to get that money, and you my dear man, have to suffer the more than everyone. To get anything from me, you have to put up with being my boyfriend," he teased a bit. They really should get going if they wanted to get down for breakfast, knowing Rogers he probably has a prompt early breakfast.

"You know, I noticed you haven't moved to get out of bed either. Could it be you actually enjoy your suffering?" He asked as he rubbed the man's shoulder with the hand not in his hair. He loved the soft smooth skin under his fingers. The first time he had felt the man's skin he was surprised at the texture, he thought it would be a bit rough considering how long he was away from things like lotion and moisturizing soaps.

Bruce tensed up as Stark started stroking his back. It was a light touch that sent shivers down his spine, but it felt wonderful. He couldn't help but give a smile about his suffering, if that's all he had to live with he think he could take it. "As horrible as that sounds, I think I might be able to manage."

Although he didn't want to leave Stark's arms, the man was making his back feel amazing and there was no reason to stop that, he managed to roll out of his grasp and sit up in the bed. He looked down at his attire and realized that all of his clothes were still in his room.

"Think it would be a good idea for me to shower off in my room, considering all of my apparel is still in there," he observed. It still pained him that Stark had gotten him so many dress shirts and pants to wear. The only thing he could think of he really needed was a suit that fit him, semi properly, JARVIS was nice enough to bump up the size a little larger than necessary so the doctor would feel more comfortable.

Tony pouted a bit when the man sat up. It was worth a shot trying to keep the man in bed, but it was quite apparent he meant business. Sometimes Bruce's polite nature killed Tony- he could just be too nice. "Feel free to go in my closet and take one of my robes, since I'm sure you don't want to go in your boxers, and there no point in putting on those dirty clothes. "

Tony sat up scratching his head. It was too early to deal with people, especially when he'd be dealing with a lot of people at the benefit tonight. It was then that he remembered they had that event. Running a hand through his hair debated reminding Bruce, he decided against it considering the anxiety the man got when things like this came up. Though it would probably get him out of breakfast, he'd rather not have Bruce in an emotional stand still all day.

Getting out the bed he walked over to Bruce and wrapped his arms around him. He moved his hands up and down feeling the man's torso. "Not going to invite me to the shower this time either?"

He was teasing and he made it obvious that he was in no way hurt or expecting the man to do so. Tony wasn't going to start even mildly expecting it until they actually had sex, maybe not even then. Bruce seemed a bit too traditional for that sort of thing. Besides Tony took very long showers.

Bruce couldn't resist letting out the moan when the other man started playing with him. It felt wonderful, but this wasn't the time to do so. "Dammit Tony, stop trying to make me horny this early in the morning. You won't like me when I'm horny," he threatened, but had to laugh at his own statement. It was too ridiculous, especially since the words came out of his own mouth.

The smaller man managed to escape his grasp yet again, and turned around to face the man. He gave him a light kiss, enjoying the taste, and went over to Tony's extravagant closet. He opened the door leading to the walk in area and he couldn't help but gasp at all the clothes, shoes, and accessories the man stored in there. It was practically as large as his room the man let him have, so only half the size of Stark's bedroom all together.

"Umm...Tony? Can I have a map for this?" he asked amazed anyone could have _that_ many things to wear.

"Bruce, I've seen you horny, you're right I don't like it. I love it," he teased laughing at the man's statement. That was really out of character, but that was hilarious. He watched as the man marveled at the large collection of Armani suits and band tee shirts.

"JARVIS, please my smallest size robe for Dr. Banner please."

"Yes, sir." The clothes began moving to the side until a JARVIS stopped at a row of robes, a brown robe then came forward on a track. "This one would be the smallest sir."

"Thank you, JARVIS," he said taking it off the hanger and holding it up for the man to stick his arms in. "This should be a nice fit."

"Thanks," Bruce said still gawking at the ludicrously sized and stocked room. He gratefully put the robe over him and tied it at the waist. Compared to the rest of his ill-fitting clothes, the robe looked more suitable to wear by actually fitting to the man. They both stepped out of the closet, trying to wrap his mind around the fact that someone could need and own that much of anything was too mind boggling. The labs he didn't mind for each machine was like a different toy to perform his experiments on, for which he was thankful for.

"I'll wait for you in the lounge," he said scratching the back of his neck. Going around the room, he picked up his articles of clothing, glasses and ID to take back with him to his room. Once there, he tossed the pile on the bed willing to deal with it later. He went back to the panel for the room to close his door before he started to undress, just in case there was going to be a wandering visitor on the floor. Not that the man hasn't been caught with his pants down before, the feeling still was rather uncomfortable for others. Hell, he was still getting use to Stark inspecting his body on a daily basis.

The doctor finally wandered into the bathroom, and once again caught notice of the nice bruises on the sides of his neck. He shook his head at the fact they still remained there. This time he was going to make sure to cover them properly while at the benefit dinner. Remembering which, it reminded him of the mere hours he had before the world knew about the small man who remained hidden for years. He let out a sigh while leaning on the sink with one hand, the other scratching at the stubble on his face. _Probably should take care of that too. Brace yourself, you're gonna be bombarded tonight Banner...,_ he thought while pulling out a razor to do a quick wet shave.

When he was done, he finally undressed himself fully and hopped in the shower. He turned on the hot water and let the steam clear his head from all the worrying he'd be doing later that day. Pulling out the random hair care products and soaps, he gave himself a full cleansing. Normally his showers were short and sweet, but now he was enjoying the feeling of the hot water beating against his skin. It was taking his mind off things, until he realized he was supposed to be down at breakfast, not taking a day long shower to escape what was inevitably coming.

Banner got out of the shower and dried himself off with one of the assorted purple towels in the bathroom. Once he was dry, except for a mop of wet hair, he threw the towel around his waist to find something to wear for the day. He had finally unpacked all of his items once Stark had bought him his elaborate set of dress clothes, all the same kind in different colours and against his will of course, but there was never any arguing with Tony Stark once the man insisted on something. It still made him feel slightly guilty wearing them, but the 'price' he had to pay for it was embarrassing enough that he was going to damn well make sure he wore them.

The doctor picked out a purple dress shirt, brown slacks, and a pair of yellow boxers. He threw them on quickly since he took a longer than usual shower and grabbed his glasses and ID card before heading out of the room. His door slide almost silently as he headed for the lounge to meet Tony.

"Okay, meet you in the lounge then," he answered as he moved to his bathroom and immediately stripped down. Looking in the mirror he saw the large red marks on each side of his neck. It made him smile. Proof that he belonged Bruce was temporarily imprinted on his body. He decided to perfect his beard once again. Hopping into the shower he washed his hair and his body. The hot water felt magical against his skin and relaxed his every muscle.

Once he got out he dried his hair making it look like it's usual sexiness. Then he brushed his teeth rinsing his mouth three times with mouthwash to get that salty taste out of his mouth. Not the he minded that it had been in his mouth, or that he had swallowed it, but when the taste lasts to the next day, it had to go. He made a mental note to chew some gum or something after next time.

Leaving the bathroom he pulled on a pair of black boxers. He went to his massive closet of infinite clothing. Considering it was only breakfast with the other Avengers he picked out a pair of jeans and an Aerosmith T-shirt. After dressing in the casual attire he left for the lounge. Seeing Bruce waiting he smiled and walked over to the man tangling his fingers in his wet hair.

"Your hair's still wet," he stated obviously as he twisted it around his fingers. Tony leaned down and sniffed the man's neck gently to try and discern which fruit he smelled like today. "Coconut?"

"If I knew I'd tell you," Bruce gave a shrug. He didn't feel like it was necessary to get his glasses covered in water in order to read the labels on the bottle. Any one of them would suffice. He noticed Tony's neck and gave a blush. It was quite evident that he had marked the man, and it wouldn't be easy for him if anyone brought up the subject at breakfast. To distract himself from potential embarrassment, he started playing with his hands like he normally did.

"Ready to face everyone?" he asked meekly, his blush only getting redder the longer Tony stayed at his neck.

Tony gave butterfly kisses to the man's neck loving the bruises that were there. He moved away so he could take one of the man's hands. He noticed the blush that went with the man's hand fidgeting he was nervous and or embarrassed. "There's nothing to face. They're our teammates, besides Tony Stark doesn't face everyone, he dazzles them."

With that he laced their fingers and walked confidently to the elevator. Once in the elevator he gave the man a small kiss on the cheek. "Chill out sometimes."

Bruce nodded, still playing with his hands. It wasn't as easy as turning an on and off switch from him to just 'chill out' about things. His mindset just wouldn't allow it, but he still took a deep breath as he stepped off the elevator with the billionaire to see everyone gathered around the table.

"Bout time we see your faces," Barton said looking up from god knows what Dummy had served. He was sitting next to Romanoff who gave him a stern look, which immediately made him back down. A good punch to the face last time was enough warning. Besides, he was lucky to get any from her after his behavior from the other day.

Thor looked up from a similar meal, looking slightly disappointed as an empty box of Pop Tarts sat on the table, but chugged his way through a pot of coffee. He beamed when the two men enter the room. "FRIENDS," he beamed, "I HOPE YOUR ADVENTURES HAVE BEEN ONES THAT WERE VICTORIOUS." The god gave a hearty laugh and a clap on the back of Banner that sent him flying forward as he passed the group around the table with Stark.

Natasha had shot Barton a look when he began being rude again. It was hard to keep the archer from misbehaving, but his unpredictable behavior was part of the reason that she was attracted to him. "It's good to see you guys. You must be working pretty hard if you don't even get to come out to eat."

Steve's ears turned red when the woman said this. _Working hard my fanny, they're just screwing around. They had time to order take out and have real food. They didn't even offer to order it for everyone. This is ridiculous there shouldn't be this much attention for just doing whatever they do all day. _

"Well, no one died in our experiments so I consider that to be a victory," Stark said not sure whether Thor meant their work in the lab or the fooling around. He then realized unlike Bruce he didn't have a collar on his shirt so the hickies on his neck were probably pretty obvious. This made him happy, especially knowing it probably drove the cap crazy. "We won't be here for dinner tonight though, just so you won't worry."

"What? Have a hot date tonight or are you trying to avoid your robot's deadly cooking? I have no idea what this is!" Clint started playing with the black soupy mixture. Frankly, it looked hideous; the man had every right to complain.

"That looks like the burnt cereal and milk I was served once," Bruce said quietly sitting down next to the Captain while observing the mess in front of Barton. Banner didn't have to look at the man out of time to see he was as red as he was. He placed his hands in his lap and waited for Tony to sit down.

"IT IS NOT AS FOUL AS THE EYES OF THE HAWK LEADS TO BE," the thunder god roared, actually ingesting the appetizing meal. "IT IS NOT AS TASTY AS THIS COFFEE. I WOULD ALSO APPRECIATE IT IF WE COULD GET MORE TARTS THAT HAVE BEEN POPPED THOUGH."

"Well, couldn't it be both?" he asked as he sat next to Bruce. The cereal in front of him looked like it was deadly. He pushed it towards Thor. It was amusing to hear Thor's request especially with how all he said had such passion. "Thor I promise I will order a large stock of Pop Tarts for you if I get this big deal that's coming up."

Natasha couldn't help but smile at Clint's comment. The food was awful and she hadn't really eaten since coming to the Tower. "Tony, could please hire a real chef? Otherwise we're going to starve."

"That or we'll be ordering in every night," Steve said trying to distract himself from the couple next to them. He was willing to talk about anything as long as it kept his mind off the couple. "So Tony what's this deal?"

"Well after the whole scare with the nuclear reactors in Japan, they're looking to invest in Stark Industries' clean energy products. So this could be a very big deal that could make me a lot of money. Which could fund more research and pay for a shitload of Pop Tarts," Tony purposefully left out the fact that he'd have to fly to Japan to advertise it. He didn't want Bruce to have to worry about doing treatments or anything alone. _Maybe he wants to go with me. He enjoys new cultures, maybe he even knows Japanese. _

"WONDERFUL!" Thor gave a hearty laugh at the prospect of getting the delicious treats he wanted. He also spied the bowl of "food" pushed towards him and downed the rest of his own before moving on to the next.  
"I would like to second Tasha's proposal," Barton said immediately after suggesting getting real food.

Bruce chuckled at how easy going Thor was, and amazed how the man could handle Dummy's cooking. He did have to agree with the assassins across the table though. The prospect of eating non-lethal food at this point would be a miracle.

"Dummy, could I have a cup of ginseng tea please?" he asked the small robot. He had gotten attached to the misguided machine's ways, but it seemed like it would benefit all if there was a real chief around.

"I can't do that until I find another use for Dummy, where he won't destroy anything," he said lightly with a nostalgic smile. Tony really didn't want to talk about almost dying in his own home, and he hoped that no one would ask. It was something that he'd probably only share with Bruce. Maybe not even him.

Natasha wanted to push the matter, but she saw on Tony's face that this was a matter that he had put his foot down on. Besides nobody else really had a say in this considering Tony paid the bills. Not to mention this gave her an excuse to go out anyway. "Well then I guess, I won't be here tonight for dinner either. Nor Clint"

"Wait so it's only going to be Thor and I tonight? What ever happened to traditional family meals? In my day, a woman had food ready for her husband when he came home from work. That's the type of values we need today, because this food is going to kill us all one day," Steve said this without really thinking. He quickly realized this could have been taken the wrong way.

All eyes seem to turned to Steve. Well, all but Thor's, but he was going through cereal like a beast that he didn't heed what was currently being said by the spangled man. Natasha looked ready to jump the man and Barton was dazed at what was going on.

Bruce couldn't help but give a disappointed look to the man he considered a hero while growing up. His entire incident happened because he wanted to be like the man next to him: tough, courageous, and outgoing. But it seemed like what he feared most of the man was showing and he couldn't help but let out a heavy sigh from Steve's want to keep to his outdated traditions.

"Um...Mr. Rogers," the doctor was trying to put a nice and polite way to his words. "There are some things that have changed over the last seventy years. It's probably for the best if we all don't get too worked up right now..."

Natasha calmed down hearing Banner's words. He was right Steve didn't know any better, this was probably all a major culture shock for him. She remembered the man tipping Fury and she smiled to herself. This man had a lot to learn about the modern times and she'd be willing to help him as long as it involved beating it into him.

Tony could help but smile at the man's behavior. He was acting more of an ass than Tony usually did. He was proud that his boyfriend could calm everyone down to the point that Steve wouldn't be killed. But of course being Tony he had to fuck with the man. "Hey Cap, did you know homosexuals can get married in some states now? This is one of them."

Rogers relaxed a bit when he heard Dr. Banner's words. He was right and Rogers really had to take a deep breath. Then Tony began talking. His face turned a bright red as he bit his tongue to try to keep from saying something offensive. "I-is that so? How...nice..."

Barton was trying to not bust a gut laughing at the situation. He did enjoy Stark's sass from time to time and this was a moment he could really appreciate. Instead he bite his knuckles and decided to see how everything would play out.

"YOU PEOPLE OF MIDGARD ARE SO PIETY. ON ASGARD, WE CAN WED WHOMEVER WE PLEASE. MY BROTHER, LOKI, WAS IMPREGNATED BY A HORSE, AND I STILL LOVE HIM DEARLY," Thor said speaking up as if to make the situation any better, but only got confused looks at everyone at the table.

Bruce shot Stark a warning glance to lay off the captain. It was obvious he wasn't going to help the situation, but only push Steve's buttons until the man exploded. Bruce put his hand of the soldier's shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

"Um well, thank you for the information Thor. It was...very interesting and says a lot about you people," the doctor said with a confused smile. "Mr. Rogers, I'm sure you'll get accustomed to the world soon enough. Hell, even I still am." Bruce gave a reassuring smile, hoping to change the direction of the conversation that it was surely heading down towards. Dummy had then come back with the doctor's tea, without looking too deadly. Banner took back his hand from the captain, making sure the contact wasn't on for longer than necessary, and took the tea from the robot, enjoying the warm taste to try and calm himself down.

Natasha shook her head. She had no clue why Tony was egging the man on. They really just didn't like each other for some reason, probably because Steve was traditional and Tony liked to do everything in an unorthodox selfish way. "Wow Thor, seems Asgard is a very free place."

The Captain nodded and smiled a bit at Bruce. "Thank you Dr. Banner. It's just going to take some time. So many of the people these days seem immoral. This man on T.V. said divorce rates are fifty percent. What happened to the love?"

Tony's eyes were drawn to the hand on Steve's shoulder. Bruce's hand was on his shoulder. It pissed him off that they had that in common. No matter how hard he tried Tony would never have to feel the discomfort of trying reintegrate into society. He would never be able to fully understand Bruce. So choosing to ignore Bruce's warning glare Tony continued to egg the man on hoping to make him say something that would get Bruce to dislike him. "It went out the window when people realized they were just getting married to follow tradition. So the smart people that realize they're just conforming and got out of the situation."

Bruce nearly spat his tea across the room hearing the words Tony spoke next. It did send him into a coughing fit though and his wristwatch sounded at the sudden lack of oxygen. After the fit passed, his heart rate was still up and was only known from the constant sound that came off of his left wrist.

"Tony! Please, behave yourself," the doctor choked out. Even for the snarky Stark, this was taking it too far. Further than any sort of debate he'd seen the man in and it was very disheartening to him. This wasn't his Tony he was used to, and it gave way to a worried look in his eyes as he turned around to face the man trying to instigate things.

"You stupid jerk! There is nothing wrong with the traditional form of life! It probably comes from so many men fooling around before marriage!" The cap knew of Tony's tendencies, which is why he said this. How dare he insult the traditional American life. It was the best way to live, that's why so many people moved there.

Tony was about to make a retort, but hearing Bruce's watch go off and seeing the look in his eyes made him stop. "I disagree," he said sternly before getting up from the table and going to his bedroom to blow off steam.

Natasha looked at Bruce and sighed. She gave a 'if you handle Tony I'll handle Steve' look to the man and gave a quick tilt of her head to tell him to go.

Once Stark stormed out of the room, Barton got a gratified look on his face and relaxed in his chair. He kicked up his legs onto the table and held his head in his crossed arms behind it. He let a smile beam across his face and said, "Priceless."  
Thor looked confused by the man's statement, which lead him to say, "YOU MIDGARDIANS HAVE THE MOST PECULIAR FORM OF CURRENCY."  
Bruce sat utterly amazed by Stark's actions. He placed his head in his hands until the beeping from his wrist stopped. He gave a silent 'thank you' to Romanoff as he sat up out of his chair to chase down Tony. Before he followed, he turned to the Captain and gave a sincere look. "I'm so very sorry, Mr. Rogers," he whispered to the man before dashing off to the elevator. The doors opened with a wisp of air and the doctor got in.  
"JARVIS, take me to the floor Tony is on please," he asked as the door started to close  
"Of course, sir."

Soon enough he was on the floor with his and Stark's bedroom. He walked down to Tony's room to find the door closed. Bruce let out a deep sigh and knocked on the door a couple times before returning his hands to their normal resting position on top of each other.

"Tony...Tony, it's me," he said dejectedly. "Can I come in...?"

Tony had JARVIS open the door since he was determined to keep his eyes glued to the computer until it was time to get ready for the benefit. He knew this was going to be a bad lecture and all the reason he was going to be able to give to Bruce was that he was jealous seeing the man's hand on Steve's shoulder and hearing him connect with the man just drove Tony fucking crazy. There was no way he could admit that _the _Tony Stark was jealous, especially not by something so simple.

"It's your room too you know. You don't have to ask permission, you don't even have to knock," he said without even looking at the man. He just couldn't take the disappointed look that was sure to be there.

The door opened to allow Bruce to see Tony sitting in front of the computer, not even bothering to turn around. It was obvious the man was trying to avoid any contact so instead of going to Stark's side he merely sat on the edge of the bed, ready to be there when the man felt like talking.

"I'm sorry," he said for his mistake, playing with his hands on his lap. He knew he didn't have to bring up the topic, it was obvious why he was there, but the Tony he was looking at right now was very off. It hurt him to see Stark trying to not look at him, after all the times the man couldn't keep his eyes off him. The feeling was out of place, and not really welcomed. The fact that he was so intent on keeping it that way seemed like a knife twisting in his side.

Tony sat in silence for a while working on what would probably be considered nothing. When he realized Bruce wasn't going to talk until he turned to him. Taking a deep breath he turned to the man and looked at him, still avoiding his eyes. "I'm not going to apologize to him."

He said this simply. There was no way he would ever apologize to Steve Rogers. Or admit that he was wrong. It would be the destruction of him.

The physicist was thankful the man finally turned around to look in his general direction. Not at him, but who was he to judge someone for not being able to hold eye contact with him. He let out a sigh and nodded.

"I figured you'd say something like that," Bruce gave a small laugh. It wasn't like his normal tone; it was one that was heavy and very forced. He looked at the man's face and stilled his hands on the center of his lap. "I would really appreciate it if you did though."

It hurt Stark's heart to hear the man's forced tone. It had to be hard for the man to be doing this, especially since it was confrontational. "And I'd appreciate not having a bigot in the tower, but I'm not getting that either. Bruce you're wasting your time. I am _never _going to apologize to him. _Ever_!"

"It's alright. Just relax. I could show you some breathing techniques I learned from some monks in Nepal. They work wonders," Bruce said after Tony's tone was getting too rough for his liking. It was easy to see this hurt Stark as much as him, but at this rate they were going to go nowhere.

"Would you like to talk about why you have such a passion to try to irritate the man so much?" he asked trying not to sound surly. Banner felt like a dentist trying to pull teeth. That, or a horrible psychiatrist.

"No, because if I tell you the reason you're just going to give me an even more disappointed look and tell me how stupid I am," he said sternly. He knew the man would probably be mad at him for getting jealous over something so minor. It didn't help that he didn't _want _to calm down. It made him feel bad, that Bruce never got that choice anymore. The good doctor had to be calm all the time.

Tony sighed putting his head in his hands. Through his fingers he said muffled, "I was jealous."

Stark called it right on Banner's reaction. The man shook his head, unable to believe Stark was lashing out like a child because he got jealous. He gave a weak smile and stood up. It was honestly sort of cute to see the mighty Tony Stark so frustrated over the fact he got jealous, like it was something inhumanly possible for him. Bruce walked up and wrapped his arms around Stark, letting his hands rest on the man's back.

"Please don't scare me like that again. For a moment there, I was thinking Tony Stark could actually be a real human being," he said with a chuckle into the man's ear. Hearing the truth behind the man's actions did make him feel slightly better about the situation. Although, he still wished he would apologize, but he wouldn't want Stark to overload for the time being.

Tony was surprised to feel the man's arms around him. It was warm and comforting. He let his arms wrap around the man as he put his head in the man's chest. He nuzzled it apologetically. There was one person in the world he'd apologize to and that was Bruce Banner, everyone else was just shit out of luck. "No promises. I'm likely to scare you again."

"I'm going to end up fighting with that man one day. I'll be in the suit, but it'll be a fight. He obviously has an issue with our relationship, and frankly it annoys the hell out of me." As he said this he was slowly untucking the man's shirt. He may be having an emotional moment, but he was still Tony Stark.

"I know he does, Tony. Just give the man some time. This must be a big culture shock to him and it doesn't help that he's teammates with something that was previously frown upon in his society. If you don't...provoke him," Bruce tried to put it nicely, but he did narrow his eyes at the top of the man's head upon saying it, "then maybe he'd be more accepting."

The gamma patient played with Stark's soft and still moist hair. He enjoyed having him in his arms, and he was glad that Stark was opening up some, but then he could feel the odd sensation of his shirt being pulled up from its proper place. The man was not in the mood to fool around, and the fact that he hadn't gotten everything he needed to know from the man didn't help.

"Not right now," he said seriously, putting his hands on Stark's to stop the action. "I know you don't like the man much right now, but if we're supposed to be a team, we're all going to have to get along. And I would really appreciate it, if you go and talk to Mr. Rogers and apologize for your outbursts earlier." And before the man could put up an argument he added further to the statement to make sure the genius wouldn't find a loophole to turn this around.

"This doesn't mean I don't want Mr. Rogers to not make an apology to you. You are both at fault. It's just time to be the bigger man and face your actions," he said making one last attempt to get through to Tony before he had to start taking privileges away like he would for a misbehaving child.

Tony pouted when his hands were stopped. It was obvious the man was serious. Bruce never talked to him like this. This was so forward. It was worse that he was chastising him. Why the hell did this have to happen? Rogers started it, and Tony shouldn't have to apologize. "Bruce, I really don't think I owe him an apology. I merely told him a fact, and my own opinion. He was the one that blew it way out of proportion. It will be a cold day in hell before I apologize to Steve Rogers."

This was said very seriously. Tony Stark didn't admit he was wrong for shit, and he wasn't about to start. He loved Bruce, but apologizing to anyone especially Steve Rogers was way too much for his ego to handle. It was a ridiculous notion. He shook his head though it was still against the man's chest. "No. I refuse with everything I have. No."

"Alright," Bruce said pulling away from the man and going back to the door where he first entered. Stark wasn't one for just taking orders, he had to be pushed into doing something and there was something he knew would be perfect to get the man go run to the captain. The doctor looked back to Tony's confused face with his own somber disposition. He didn't want to do it, but the man was leaving him no choice at this point.

"Until you and Mr. Rogers make up, I'm not going to allow for any physical contact. I'll be down in the gamma lab when you want to talk. And don't lie! I'll have JARVIS make sure you actually keep your word," Bruce said with a voice of authority. Something he would just keep to himself unless he really needed it, but right now if he wanted the team to get along, it would have to be done. With his final words, the physicist turned out of the room and left for the elevator to go back to his lab for the time being.

Tony was absolutely pissed. His own technology was now going to be used against him. Going into the elevator Tony spoke to JARVIS. "JARVIS, take me wherever Captain Douche is."

"Yes, sir." The elevator immediately went down to the gym where once again Steve was punching the poor bag hanging on the chain. Frustrated Tony went over to the man to talk to him.

"Look Cap, I apologize for telling you the truths about society before you were ready. I see now you need more time to adjust before you can be told the more extreme things," it was a half assed apology, but that was all Stark was able to give most people. This was a hell of a lot more than what others got. Most people got a quick 'I apologize' and that was it.

Rogers looked at the man with a confused look. Tony Stark was apologizing to him. It was a bad apology, but an apology nonetheless. It then hit him "Dr. Banner is making you apologize to me isn't he?"

"Yep."

"I accept. I apologize for over reacting."

"Natasha say you have to?"

"Yep."

"I accept. Well, see ya." With that Tony left to go to the gamma lab. Walking in, he sat in his favorite computer chair and put his feet up. "I apologized, he accepted. He apologized, I accepted. So, I get to keep my physical contact privileges?"

Bruce was playing around with the settings for the gamma radiation inducer, making sure the settings would be correct for his next treatment. Within a few minutes of him reaching the floor, the elevator opens to reveal a very sassy Stark. The man sat down, still pouting from earlier. When Tony told of his endeavor, the gamma subject gave a skeptical look.

"JARVIS, please play back Tony's apology," Bruce asked the overhead computer when Stark came back too soon for his liking. Something seemed fishy and if anything, he wanted a recording of the alleged apology to play back whenever Stark got pissy.

"Yes, sir." JARVIS then played back the quick footage of Tony and Steve's apology. It had to be the worst goddamn apology he had ever seen in his life, but it wasn't like that was going to stop Stark from saying he kept his end of the deal, because he technically did. The doctor let out a large groan, debating on whether or not calling Romanoff to settle things straight. Obviously, he was being a horrible mediator currently.

"I'm never going to win am I?" he asked himself shaking his head while clocking in the appropriate dosage of radiation. "But fine! Yes you did what you were supposed to. If you could call it that," the physicist said begrudgingly. The one time he actually asked for something, he got Stark off in one of the worst moods he's ever seen. The man was rarely forward, even with Tony. It seemed disheartening that Tony couldn't follow through one action for him which led to the doctor giving a long and heavy sigh.

Tony swore to himself that he'd destroy all evidence of that file even existing. There was no way he would allow there to be proof that he had apologized to Captain America. That was just so wrong on so many levels. It was just frustrating.

Hearing Banner's reply Tony gave a big proud smile. He had managed to avoid losing his touching privileges which was something that he loved, obviously. As happy as he was the feeling was gone as soon as he saw Bruce's face. It was obvious he was still disappointed. This hurt him more than apologizing hurt his ego. He put his feet down so the Bruce would know his next words were serious. "Bruce, I promise I will _try _to be nicer to Rogers. And I won't instigate things like that with him anymore. Your opinion of me means more to me than my ego. So if it will make you happy, that's the least I can do."

He felt the jealousy filling him again. He hated how much Bruce cared about how Rogers felt. Tony hated that he put Rogers feelings before his own. It just wasn't fair. He loved Bruce, and that was proving to be his greatest downfall. It killed him. He had never had this much of a lack of control over his emotions.

"I'm sorry," the doctor apologized. The man was feeling far too selfish to manage to get Stark to actually bend to his will. It was a guilty feeling that just added to the melancholy expression on his face. The fact he had to go this far to get the man to do something was infuriating, but he still forgave the man. He couldn't help himself.

Bruce took a chair next to Stark once he was done with the monitor. Trying to find the words to he wanted to say, it finally came to him. The small man played with his hands and mumbled into them, "I just want to keep the...family together. It's hard to watch everyone tear each other apart."

It seemed odd to call this group a family, but considering how they managed to pull themselves together to save the world, it was a simple name to give them.

"This 'family' isn't going anywhere. Rogers and I could get into a brawl and we'd still have our family. We'll play nice, I promise." There was nothing Stark hated more than seeing Bruce so down. The man next to him deserved to be happy; it was just hard to provide that when it meant destroying Tony's pride.

"From now on if I'm getting upset I'll do what I did today and walk away, or fly away depending on how mad I am. I'll blow off steam for a while then come back." It was something that he would try to follow through on, but even today Stark couldn't stop until he heard Bruce's watch going off.

"So can I get a smile from you willingly now or am I going to have to show you my sexy body and make you smile by force?" he asked teasing the man hoping to put him in a better mood.

Bruce gave a weak smile, still avoiding looking at the man. He could tell the man was trying, really trying for a change and he could accept that. The man continued to play with his hands, still slightly bothered.

"Thank you," he said softly. "I'm sorry. I'm just not one for confrontations..." The doctor was right on that part, he actively avoided them whenever possible. Having to fear for spats like what happened today was going to take a toll on him. If he was going to be more, he would have to escape to the lab just in case he wouldn't be able to control himself and possibly Hulk out. He did notice earlier that Tony only stopped when his watch went off. The small man let out another sigh and stopped his hands so he could grasp the watch at his wrist, the item reminding him on how he was chained down.

"Bruce, I know. That's just how you are and part of the reason I love you. Just like I'm a confrontational egotistical sex machine and you still love me. We're two men that love what the other has, but they lack. So naturally there will be sometimes when our personalities collide a bit. Especially when I'm never willing to apologize and you always apologize. So how bout we make this promise to each other. I will do my best to keep from confrontational situations and you don't make me apologize to anyone but you even when I'm wrong. Deal?"

It was one of Tony's speeches that only Bruce heard, the type that comes from his softer side that was reserved for Bruce. He refused to be anything, but his usual self around everyone else. He was snarky and an ass to most people, and that's how he liked it. If people didn't like it, they could go fuck themselves.

The doctor finally gave a laugh. What Tony said was very true and he wouldn't trade it for the world. "I can't argue with that," he said accepting the deal. There was a real smile on his face this time, glad Tony could share what he wanted with him.

"I'm sorry for making you talk to the captain...I assume you're going to delete that video ten times over?" Bruce asked trying to lighten up his own mood.

"Ah now there's a proper smile. For a second there I thought that my smile's sexiness wasn't enough," he said with a small smile. It was his only way of dealing with situations like this, make jokes and be snarky as hell. "No apology necessary Bruce, the good thing about being with someone who never apologizes is, I don't expect you to apologize either. Especially when you're not wrong."

Hearing the man's reminder he called up to the ceiling "JARVIS, please delete that video from every file, yes even back up. Erase any and all proof it existed. I want to see a gap in security from it. If I see that again I will not be happy."

"Yes, sir," the robotic voice said as it went to deleting files.

"Thanks for the reminder. If you love me you will never remind me of this incident," he said with a chuckle.

"I'll try to keep it from popping up," Bruce said with his own small chortle. He was feeling better about the situation now that Stark had opened up enough. His mind was freeing up from one area of concern and it immediately went to the next one.

"So...when's the dinner?" he asked while fidgeting with his hands.

Tony looked at his watch and shook his head "We still have quite a few hours before we have to start getting ready. The dinner isn't until six, it's not even noon yet."

Tony gently placed his hands on the man's fidgeting ones. He knew this was a big thing for the man. It was hard for him to handle breakfast with the Avengers; it was going to be nearly impossible for him to handle dinner with executives that help fund Stark Industries' research and deals.

Bruce nodded and graciously accepted the man's hands on his own. It would have been impossible for Stark to touch him, but he had gone years without contact with others. Even with that sort of training, there was still a desire in him for Tony to touch the man. It was calming and alluring.

"Shall we try to get some work done before that?" Bruce suggested after a few minutes of silence, not sure what to do with himself.

"Uggghh, don't make me do stuff," he said putting his head on the man's shoulder. Today he was hoping to just spend the day preparing Bruce for the benefit and relaxing. "I was a good boy yesterday."

"Can't we do something relaxing for once? Like we can watch the Kite Runner again, that's relaxing," he said with a laugh. It amazed him how easily he fell asleep while watching that movie but it did. "Though I wouldn't mind some strenuous activities either."

"Not that smartest thing to wind up a time bomb," Bruce said with a small laugh, petting Tony's head and enjoying the feeling of his hand running through his hair. His weight was comforting and welcomed. It was something to keep his mind off the countdown til a nervous breakdown.

"But alright, a day of rest would be nice every once in a while," he said with a smile. "Shall we go to the lounge then? If we don't, I'll find something to do in here eventually."

"Sounds good to me," he said lifting up his head and going to the elevator. He had chosen to ignore the man's time bomb comment. That was how he viewed Bruce sometimes, but never when it came to their activities. It was really only when he had Bruce in situations where he's getting frustrated and impatient.

Sitting on the couch in the lounge he held his arms out so Bruce could lay in them. The warmth the man gave off always stimulated Tony's ideas. It was like he was relaxed enough to open up his mind to new possibilities. It was only by pure luck that he hadn't gotten into a project that he obsessed over to the point he'd ignore Bruce.

Bruce gave a lopsided smile while sitting down next to the billionaire, and laid back into his warm arms as the wrapped around him. Instead of his normal routine to play with his hands he used them to hold Stark's own hands as he rested in his favorite spot. He snuggled into the man's chest before attempting to do anything else.

"I really do love you." The words just slipped out of the man's mouth while he was at ease. A bright blush went up his face as he realized what he unconsciously did, he was still a little drained from his radiation treatments and could be partially responsible for why he would just speak out loud without thinking.

Tony heard the man's words and smiled. Not that the man didn't tell him that he loved him, but it was rare for him to do it without a reason. Most times it was before going into the radiation chamber, or when Tony did something sweet. It was refreshing to hear, it made Tony feel truly happy in a way that alcohol couldn't do for him. Now that he thought about it he hadn't had one drink that day. That hadn't happened since he was kidnapped.

"Do you really? I thought you were pretending this whole time," he teased and kissed the top of the man's head gently. It just wouldn't be a proper love confession if Tony didn't tease the man. "I really love you too, Bruce."

Bruce gave a smile a nuzzled again against Stark. He really did enjoy the sweet moments he could get out of Tony. The small man took a nice deep breath and closed his eyes, resting for a small while.

"I'm not used to doing anything other than science, please remind me what you'd like to do right now to relax?" he teased. It was rare they weren't in the lab or the bedroom, being on a nice leather couch was a quant change.

"Well there's movies, we could listen to music, we could talk (about fun things), or we could sleep," he purposefully left out the fooling around and everything. It seemed quite obvious that Bruce was not in the mood. Not to mention Bruce would need his energy for the benefit. It was going to be very tiring.

"I'm not sure if I want to know what your definition of 'fun things' is," Bruce said laughing to himself. "But I am very comfortable here. I wouldn't mind a nap." The man smiled as he rolled over to see Stark's face. He gave him a loving kiss and returned to his original position, closing his eyes yet again. It wasn't that he was tired, he just liked to rest in the man's arms. It was the only place where he didn't have to think endlessly and with the benefit coming up shortly, he could use the touch of Stark to get him to calm down.

"Sweet dreams," he said before snuggling up in Stark's arms yet again.

"Back at ya big guy," he said relaxing. This was what made him let go of all his stress and all the blows to his ego. It was all worth it for this moment here. To feel this loving warmth, it was perfect. "JARVIS please wake us at four, if we're not up."

"Yes, sir."


	9. Chapter 9 Benefits

**Second helping! Have fun guys! We sure as hell did :D  
**

**WE DON'T OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, WE'RE SO SO SORRY.**

Chapter 9 - Benefits  
"Sirs, it is now four o'clock. Four hours until the annual benefit," the AI system said overhead.  
Bruce didn't stir from his comfortable stop in Tony's arms at the sound of JARVIS. He had been awake the entire time. Even with Tony's magical presence, it wasn't enough to allow the man to totally escape the nagging fear in the back of his mind: public recognition.  
He let out a sigh and rolled over yet again on top of Stark. Banner gave a smile that at least Tony looked peaceful in his sleep, probably thinking up ways to tease him next. The doctor moved up closer to the man and gave him a sweet midafternoon wake up kiss. He brushed at his cheek and then rested his head on Stark's own.  
"Good afternoon," Bruce said with a little grin.

"Good afternoon," Tony replied his eyes still closed. It was obvious he had been sleeping fairly deep. When he finally opened his eyes they had their devious look as he leaned forward and kissed the man again. "If you woke me up like that everyday I'd be more likely to get up before noon."  
He tangled his fingers in the man's hair feeling the soft locks. "Ready to get ready for the benefit?"

"As I'll ever be," Bruce said biting his lower lip, his nervousness showing. Getting ready meant sealing his fate for the entire world to know who he was, along with that he was boyfriends with a genius like himself, plus billions of dollars added to him. Banner sat up, despite Stark's protest, and scratched his head as if he could try to clear it that way.  
"So...what's the plan?" he asked sheepishly.

"Well first we should get dressed. It's a formal event so tuxes. When we get there we will be seated for dinner where you and I will be seated with members of the Stark Industries board. We'll have small talk about nothing in particular as we eat then it's on to mingling. Thanking everyone for being there and such. Then we leave. The reporters shouldn't bother us until we're walking in and out. Just keep walking with me while I answer the questions and we'll get through fast. If you want to answer a question feel free, but it will just lead to more," he said all this quickly as if this was a normal person's routine.  
He left out the part about dancing and that press would be taking pictures in the benefit too, they just wouldn't be attacked by a mob of reporters while in there. There was likely to be a VIP reporter or two that would come up to them while they were mingling.

The doctor nodded, happy he would only deal with an onslaught of people before and afterwards. Hopefully it would be quick enough that he wouldn't stress himself too much. He gripped at his watch again thinking of worse case scenarios that had flashed in his mind while he was 'sleeping' with Tony.  
"What if...the other guy comes out? We don't know the effects of my treatment so far so is there going to be any...precautions in such a turn of events? Will you be bringing one of your suits?" Bruce was very sullen having to think about this. The world didn't know he was the Hulk, and he wasn't willing to share that information with everyone. If he had a Hulk out, there would only be more attention on the man.

"Well, I will be bringing the latest suit. Happy will be there and he will have it for me. He will be on alert and ready to hand it off to me when needed. If your heart rate reaches 190, I'll take the suit and we'll slip off to the bathroom and lock the door. We can try to calm you down there and if you Hulk out, then nobody will know it was you. Sure the city might get a beating, but we get to test out the treatments to see if they worked out well," he said with a proud smile.  
This was something Tony had thought out carefully. He knew Bruce would only agree to go if there was a backup plan or two. This was Tony's first big event since getting together with Bruce and frankly he needed some moral support there for when he made it public that he was no longer a playboy. Not to mention Bruce would be a great shield from temptation. Many people say that as soon as a man says he is no longer available, that was when women threw themselves at him. Hopefully having Bruce there would keep those women away from him.

Bruce was relieved to hear the man thought his plan through. What didn't excite him was on how eager he was to figure out the results of their tests. It helped to hear that there would be someone he knew there. Maybe even Pepper would be there, but Stark just didn't want to announce it. Tony probably figured out that the redhead would spill little stories about him to Bruce whenever he wasn't around which was amusing to say the least.  
"Alright," the doctor said thinking it over. _Get ready for one hell of a night, Banner... _Was what he was mentally saying to himself.

Tony gave a small smile as stood up slowly. He stretched with an extended yawn. "Man, I was sleeping well. I considered blowing off the benefit so we could sleep more, but I know how you'd hate for me to be rude and blow off work."  
He was using the man's polite tendencies against him, but it was payback for the man making him Rogers. "JARVIS, my tux and the one I bought for Dr. Banner."  
Tony had purposefully kept the fact that he ordered one for Bruce a secret. There was no way he was going to let the man convince JARVIS not to order it or to change the order. How he managed to get JARVIS to change the order he'd never know, but Tony did know he'd have to upgrade JARVIS's hardware to remind him who made him and who had control over him.

"Right away, sir," JARVIS said overhead. Dummy soon came wheeling out with two separate suits, each nicely hung up and hidden between a tinted plastic covering.

The physicist let out something between a groan and a whimper. The fact that Stark was teasing him about going and the man buying him more clothes than necessary was enough to do that to Banner. He stood up and followed Stark to the little robot as he picked out his own suit, the other he handed it to Bruce as if he was about to propose to the man. Tentatively, he took the suit from Stark and held it by resting it over both arms.

"Thanks," he said quietly with a blush.

"Hope you don't get too mad at me. I just thought you'd look amazing in this. Of course not as amazing as out of it," he hinted with a small smile. The man's blush hadn't gone unnoticed. Tony loved making Bruce blush. It was adorable. He stayed in the proposing position as he took the man's hand and kissed it. "So what do you say about giving me a show before getting ready?"

The body language didn't match the request, but that's what made it all the more fun. Besides it made it so he caught Bruce off guard therefore if he said no it was less lightly to include a snarky comeback. Then again he probably didn't have the social capacity to handle that at the moment considering for the first time in years he was about to go to a major social event.

"P-preferably not," Bruce stuttered at the oddly placed request. This was not the time for him to be in the mood for that and it only caused him to get flustered, his face turning a darker red. Sometimes he could only handle so much of Stark's requests. Stripping for the man would possibly give Banner a heart attack while he was this nervous for the event. It was also preferable he'd be able to function for the evening if he did manage to survive Stark's teasing beforehand.

The doctor turned around to hide his face and started making off to his room. "I-I'm going to get changed in my room if you don't mind."

"Why don't you get changed in _our _room?" He asked calling after him. Standing up and getting taking his tux. Tony walked over to the man and kissed the man's temple. "I'll change in the bathroom. Just relax Bruce, everything will be okay."

Taking the man's hand and lacing their fingers he led him to the room with a small smile. "Use any of my colognes or anything you want." With that he went into the bathroom and got changed into his personalized tux. The coat and pants were black, but the shirt was red with a gold vest. He brushed his hair and touched up his beard some more. He made sure the collar on his tux covered the hickies on his neck. As much as he loved showing off that he had gotten Bruce to be that forward, it was not the best of ideas to show it off in front of the press. When he came out he put on an expensive watch and cologne. "Ready?"

Bruce was relieved to hear that Stark would let him be as he put on his doomsday clothing. The man had to laugh at the clothing once Stark had left the room and he removed the cover to his tux. It was in three pieces, traditional black for the coat and pants, but the shirt and vest was coloured to his 'other guy' persona. The dress shirt green, while the vest was purple along with a matching bow tie. _Oh god...he expects me to go there looking like the Hulk. Fantastic, _he thought.

He removed his clothes except for his boxers and folded the garments neatly, placing them on an end table by his side of the bed. The doctor made sure to set aside his glasses and ID on top of his clothes to remember to grab them once he was done. Slowly, Banner changed into his tux which easily covered the hickies he had on his own neck. The only problem was the bow tie which he had never worn before. When Stark came out he was still fiddling with the thing on his neck, at least it gave a minor distraction for him from the event he was going to depart for shortly.

"I would be if not for this," Bruce said maneuvering the piece of fabric around his neck while in front of a mirror, hoping it would help aid him if at all possible.

"Here let me help you," Stark said as he chuckled and shook his head. He walked behind the man and brought his arms around to tie the piece of fabric. He made sure to make it so the man could see what his hands were doing in the mirror. Once he finished he gave a smile "And that's how it's done. So my payment please?"

Tony was treating this like any other night as best he could. He hoped it would help relax the man. If he was focused on avoiding Tony's usual attempts at molesting him, then he wouldn't be able to worry about the dinner.

"Thanks," Bruce said, appreciating the help. He put the tutorial in his memory bank just for when he would probably have to do this again. Stark's next statement gave him another blush at the proposal and the fact he knew where 'payment' lead with this man. He turned around to accidentally look Tony straight in the eyes, which automatically diverted after the contact with an extended blush attached.

"I thought you said I could get a tab," he said trying to be calm, his anticipation for the event showing through it easily.

"Are you _sure _you want a tab? If you're not careful you can fall into some heavy debt," he teased. He loved the when the man looked into his eyes. He took his chin so the man would look up. "Hey, everything will be okay. Just calm down. Otherwise I'm going to make you smoke some weed."

He gave the man a gentle kiss before pulling away so they could get going. He offered the man his arm. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Bruce said accepting the man's arm after grabbing his glasses and ID. They walked out to the main elevator and descended towards the garage where Tony kept all of his expensive toy cars. Once the doors opened they were greeted by Pepper Potts wearing a nice dress with a revealing back and Happy Hogan in a tux with the latest compact version of the Mach VII handcuffed to him. Stark had used a lot of his time developing a more readily accessible version of the Mach VII after the invasion and the rebuilding of the Tower. It responded faster to command and was in a smaller briefcase compact form to shot out at Tony upon his word. The suit also registered the cuffs faster, which they were currently placed in Stark's pocket if need be.

"I'm surprised. This is going to be the first event you'll actually be on time for, for the first time in, approximately, ever," Pepper remarked as she saw the two leaving the elevator. "Aww, Bruce you look wonderful. It's a nice change to see you in something that fits, no offence."

"Thank you, Pepper," Bruce said with a blush. Still holding onto Tony's arm, they started walking towards the car of choice for the evening.

"And you're even calling me Pepper after all those times I asked you too!" she said giggling. They had gotten friendly enough after being left alone for hours while Stark was off at the office. It had been a hard time for Bruce to start calling the woman by her first name, but eventually he had gotten it down after repeated reminders.

"Pepper I see you're wearing the dress I got you for your birthday last year, it still looks stunning," he said ignoring her comment, while making a stab at the fact that he bought the dress for her. He waited for Happy and Pepper to get into the Aston Martin DBS and closed the door for Bruce once he got in. He got in the driver's seat buckling up. "Let's see if I can be _early _to an event for once."

With that he tossed the car into drive and sped off into the street. He took every turn quickly and drove through every amber light. He came to an abrupt halt in front of the valet fifteen minutes early. He had purposefully got there so early so they could avoid at least some of the press. "Well look at that, fifteen minutes early. I think we're the first people here."

Getting out the car he handed the valet the keys as he walked around the car to stand with Bruce. He offered the man his arm. "Shall we?" he asked gesturing to the Cipriani.

The valet went around and opened Bruce's door allowing the man, Pepper, and Happy to get out and stretch. Stark had extended his arm and Bruce wordlessly accepted it by giving him his own. He had kept relatively quiet in the car and that wouldn't change without real provoking. All the man did was breath and allow Stark to take him in the right direction, wishing he had his other arm free so he could play with his hands to calm himself down.

They all walked up a red carpet, Tony leading with Bruce while Pepper and Happy tagged along. Happy looked on edge, just in case Stark really needed to use the suit this evening. They had been told that Bruce was the Hulk only a few weeks ago and they seemed accepting enough, Pepper amazingly so, but of course having a Hulk on the scene tonight was not top priority.

Many reporters snapped pictures as the guests walked in. Every question was ignored as Tony walked with Bruce. It'd definitely be worse on the way out, especially since after the benefit nobody would be trying to get pictures of people walking on the red carpet. But they'd cross that bridge when they got to it.

When they walked into the hall Tony was impressed by the decoration. The high ceiling had drapes going across it in beautiful patterns. The tables had candles and roses petals were sprinkled on top of them. The dance floor was large with an orchestra on stage. Then there was the best part: an extremely large open bar.

They were all lead to their table by one of the waiters. Tony pulled the chair out for Bruce, and pushed it in for him once he sat. At the table there were two other couples' names to be sat at the table. Within each of the couples at least one of the spouses was on the board for Stark Industries. Tony sat next to Bruce with a small smile on his face.

"So far so good right?" he asked Bruce trying to make sure the man wasn't already freaking out. If Bruce was getting really worked up already, then they'd definitely have to leave. It would be too much for Bruce to handle it once the guest were actually there if he was freaking out now.

"I'm okay," Bruce managed to say, playing with his hands under the table. Pepper sat next to him, while Happy took Stark's side. There were still four empty seats across from the group. The doctor could only hope the other arrivals wouldn't be too hostile them.

"Mr. Stark, do you need the note cards for the welcoming speech or are you good?" Pepper asked in her personal assistant mode once everyone looked situated. She ignored the jab at her early, just wanting to do her job like normal. Now seemed like a good time to ask before the entire hall filled with people and reporters, making it nearly impossible to talk to the billionaire.

"I'll take the note cards. Thank you, Pepper," he said with a grateful smile. He had completely forgotten he was giving the speech, since he had been so worried about Bruce. Tony smiled at Bruce and gave his knee a small pat to reassure him.

Happy watched as people were walking in there were a lot and he remembered how Stark had responded when Happy had said something wrong, he didn't want to think about what he would do if one of the people here said something insulting.

"Don't need to thank me. I get paid for it," she said teasingly. Pepper handed over the cards from a clipboard she was carrying with her. It may be a 'party' of sorts, but it was still business.

Banner was purposely looking at the table, there was a blush that wouldn't go away, and probably wouldn't for the entirety of the night. He didn't want to see other's reactions as they walked in by the man with Tony Stark. He was unfamiliar with the situation and everyone unfamiliar with him, he was bound to be a target for questioning why he was there with the billionaire. Bruce felt Stark's touch on him, something small to slightly calm down. He gave a small smile, but continued to fidget with his hands. His body was still very rigid, but Stark had managed to loosen up the man enough to make him look like he wasn't going to pop at any second.

"You know Pepper, sometimes I think I should give you a raise," he said only half joking. He really did feel he should give her a raise, but that would only come when he was sure she wasn't going to gossip with Bruce about him. He stood when the other two couples arrived. "Mr. and Mrs. Gosse. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson. Nice to see you again."

He shook their hands and sat as they did. They looked at Bruce with an inquisitive look. It wasn't often that Tony Stark was surrounded by men. Tony smiled ready to introduce the man next to him. "This is Happy Hogan, I know you remember Miss Pepper Potts, and this is Dr. Bruce Banner."

The couples shook everyone's hands before sitting. The way Tony had said Bruce's name it was obvious that he held great respect, admiration and affection for the man. He hadn't said that Bruce was his date or his boyfriend for the simple fact, he thought it might embarrass Bruce a bit too much for that to be in the introduction rather than just an answer to a question.

Bruce was happy for the simple introduction. Short, sweet, and didn't give much away. He shook their hands and gave a nod as they greeted him. He snuck a glance at the others across the table once they sat down, the dressed it what appeared to be in expensive taste. The doctor looked around the room to see the place filling up, making it more crowded, and causing him to regulate his breathing in fear of anything possible. It caused him to look back down to the table relatively quick, and his normal hand motions were hidden from sight.

Pepper appreciated Stark's comment. She greeted the Gosses and the Gibsons warmly, talking to them like they were long lost friends. It had been a year since she saw them last and she had gotten acquainted enough with their wives to be able to socialize with them.

Happy was rarely invited to participate in these events rather than just wait ready to act. He felt a bit out of place, but he was able to pick up some conversation with the men. It wasn't too hard unless they started on stocks and the company's future, but they got back into a subject Happy could participate in relatively quickly.

Tony would hop into the conversations everyone once in a while, but he mainly just listened as he had the waiter bring him drinks. He wasn't really interested in talking about the company or political issues. He was just waiting for the go ahead to give the welcome speech so they could be served dinner and then get on to mingling. Tony liked mingling; it was more fun because it didn't involve trying to sustain long conversations about things he didn't care about with people he didn't care about.

"Is any couple here interested in getting their photo taken for the event?" came a chipper young voice from behind where Dr. Banner was sitting. He glanced over his shoulder to see a rather young girl holding a very professional looking camera ready to take a picture.  
"We'd be delighted," Mr. Gibson announced as he wrapped his arm around his wife. Mr. and Ms. Gosse followed suit. The girl took a quick snap with her camera of both of them with a smile.  
"Thank you! You can find them online with these cards," she distributed a card to each of the couples as she moved around to the other side of the table. She held up her camera positioning it towards Bruce and Pepper. "How 'bout you two? You look wonderful together," the girl said with a high schooler-ish squee to it while focusing her camera.  
Bruce's face went to his ears when he noticed the camera in his and Pepper's direction. He wasn't exactly expecting this to happen. "W-we're not together! Um, I mean, we came together sure, but all four of us did in the same car. That's why we're all seated here, together. And well, not that Pepper isn't lovely and everything. She's fabulous and everything and very pretty, but I'm not with her and-" Bruce was cut off before he would pass out from lack of oxygen from saying all that in one breathe. Tony had put his hand on the man's shoulder before he could do any further damage.

"He's with me, and we'd love a picture," Tony said stopping the man from getting to the point where he'd either overload or talk about whether or not he'd bang her. As the high school sounding girl aimed her camera Tony turned his head at the last second to kiss Banner's cheek as she snapped the photo. Tony took the card with a smug smile. "Well I can't wait to see that one, I'm sure it will be good."  
Happy couldn't help but smile a bit. That display of just pure affection was actually quite cute and so un-Stark. He had to suppress a laugh when he saw the surprised faces of the other two couples. Happy decided to try and save the atmosphere. "Miss Potts if you don't mind I'd love a picture with you. As Dr. Banner said you're fabulous and very pretty. It'd be something nice to hang on the wall."

"Sounds wonderful," she said with a smile as she walked over to lean over Happy since the man was chained down. Banner's babbling was adorable in its own sense, and downright hilarious. It was obvious why Stark liked the man so much: he was an easy target for teasing. The girl took another photo and handed them their card.  
"Thank you very much!" she said with a giggle and ran off to take pictures of other guests.  
Bruce had managed to make a small smile for the photo, mainly out of embarrassment. His face was completely flushed and when Stark had kissed him, somehow he managed to get even hotter. It was obvious the others at the table were staring at that moment and he looked back down at his own hands to distract himself. Happy's comment only made it worse and made him feel very guilty for going on about Pepper. Once she sat down he felt like he could make a formal apology for his ramblings.  
"P-Pepper I'm so so sorry! I-I couldn't stop and it turned out horrible and now I'm probably making this worse and for the love of god stop me," Bruce went on another rambling, his watch starting to beep even over the sound of chatter within the hall.  
"Calm down, Bruce! It's fine. You said I was pretty and that's good enough for me," she said with a kiss to the man's cheek and gave him a reassuring smile.

Tony almost had a heart attack when the man's shackle started to go off. He couldn't help, but smile when Pepper reassured the man. It was nice to know that she was there for him when he needed her. "Well I'm going to go give the welcome speech, I'll be back in a bit."  
As Tony walked he stopped by Pepper and leaned down. He gave her a small kiss on the cheek and whispered, "thank you. Keep an eye on Bruce for me don't let anyone interrogate him."  
With that he went on to the stage in front of the orchestra. "Welcome everyone. Thank you for coming, every year we are able to hold this benefit because of you. Give yourself a round of applause" he was reading from the cards, but of course he had to deviate off of them. "So as a reward enjoy the open bar and hopefully you'll all get lucky tonight if you get your dates drunk enough. Once again thank you."  
Happy was amazed at what he heard. He shook his head slowly. "How the hell do you give him cards with everything to say, and he still manages to be inappropriate?"

He was back to the table in time to be served dinner. He smiled at Bruce with his 'wait til we get home' smile. It was one Pepper would probably recognized.

Bruce had managed to calm himself down enough by the time Tony got on stage, his watch was silent. He kept regulating his breath more closely afterwards, still scared of any possible thing that could set him off. While trying to calm down, he managed to miss Stark's short speech. Only catching Pepper's and Happy's reactions which could tell him the whole story of what Tony could have possibly said.

Pepper kept an eye on the doctor who looked very flustered. She gave him an extra pat on the back to see if the man could cheer and loosen up. She couldn't help but shake her head along with Happy during Stark's speech. "He didn't even read half of it," Potts said rolling her eyes.

Stark came back to the table, which Banner actually turned to welcome back. The look in his eyes was obvious, even to him, so the reactions of the other two were appropriate for the situation. Bruce gave him a look along the lines of 'you're insane.'

All through dinner Tony indulged the couples at the table with their ideas about the company and where it should go. Once it was time to mingle, Tony stood up ready to talk to new people. He offered a hand to help Bruce up. "Well it's been lovely talking to you, but I must go tend to other guests. I will see you at the next meeting."

With that he led Bruce away so they could talk to random business people and diplomats. No one really asked about their relationship, considering that it would be kind of rude. After an hour or so of boring small talk Tony led Bruce to the dance floor among the other couples dancing. He pulled the man into his arms placing one hand on Bruce's hip and the other held Bruce's hand. He stepped to the beat of the music moving slowly. "You're doing great. This isn't so bad is it?"

"It feels like if I dropped a pin, I would potentially have a heart attack," Bruce admitted. He was enjoying the dancing, getting to hold onto his hand and shoulder. Even if he had two left feet, he awkwardly sidestepped in order to avoid scuffling on Tony's feet. But actually getting to be close to Tony, even amongst all the people, it was making him more at ease then just sitting down and fearing for the next potential disaster that could happen.

"I can honestly say, I am enjoying this though," he said blushing, referring to the dancing as Stark led him around.

"I'm quite enjoying this too," he said as spun the man slowly. Taking Bruce back into his arms he pulled the man even closer. The warmth he felt from the man in his arms was the best part of the night. As the song came to a close Tony couldn't resist spinning the man one more time before dipping him. "Did I ever tell you how much I love dancing?"

He pulled the man back up so they could clap for the band it was time to get back to mingling, but that had been a perfect break. He'd made a mental note to do that one more time before going out to face the press.

"Not once," Bruce gave a lopsided smile, his face still completely red. It was embarrassing being the 'female' of the dance, but he didn't mind. He rather enjoyed Stark's lead. Plus, it was better Stark took control rather than the gamma scientist who would have tripped endlessly in a circle. The two started to walk away, back into the crowd until Banner felt a tap on his shoulder signaling him to turn around once a few feet away before they were hidden in a mass of people. Of course he obliged the request, despite his mind telling him to run away, he would feel too rude otherwise.

The looked over to see a fairly tall young man, about mid-20s. He had an eager look to his eye that Banner only caught briefly as he turned around and then intentionally avoided eye contact. The man had some sort of recording device on him, along with a small photographer's camera around his neck. He beamed once he had gotten Bruce's attention and went straight into introducing himself.

"Hi! My name is Tom Sanders. I'm a reporter for the Daily Bugle and I was wondering if I could get an interview with you and Mr. Stark," he talked fairly quick. The device in his hands ready to go whenever they were.

Tony sighed when he saw it was a reporter. They had been caught. Generally Tony didn't agree to interviews with men. only pretty women who he thought he had a chance with, but this time he was with Bruce and this _was _ supposed to be his chance to come out and say he's changed. "I suppose a quick interview won't kill us."

He answered with a small smile. This was a lot better than getting hounded by reporters outside. A small quiet interview was much much better. "Shall we go somewhere your recorder can pick up our voices?" he asked before leading them to a table in a far corner of the room. It was relatively quiet and there weren't a lot of people and there was easy access to the bar. Yes this place was perfect.

"Perfect!" Tom exclaimed once they got to the table. He was beaming at the fact he was getting an interview with the Iron Man and he wasn't going to let it go to waste. He quickly turned on his recorder and went to work.

"It's an honour to get a chance to talk with you Mr. Stark. First off, I have to say thank you for taking your time and for saving the entire world while you were at it. It's greatly appreciated. May I ask who your companion is?" he said, of course gesturing to Bruce. "I saw both of you dancing beautifully on the floor just a few moments ago. It makes me wonder, has the playboy Tony Stark start going after men now?"

The question asked last seemed far too forward for the doctor. He was playing with his hands, appreciating silently the thanks for saving the city, not that Sanders would know his alter ego. Once it got to him he moved in closer to Tony as if to make himself smaller, hoping he would keep his promise and answer the questions for him so he wouldn't have to make a fool out of himself like he did earlier. Every instinct in Bruce telling him to leave the premise. So far he hadn't had to deal with anyone really questioning him, and he still had to worry about the horde of press outside of the establishment which was the only reason keeping him in there at the moment.

"Well you're more than welcome," they were training the reporters really well now a days. They seem to play to his ego well, and knew how to drive right to the point. Feeling Bruce move closer into him to hide, he put an arm around the man. He wanted him to know it was okay and that he had this. "Before I answer I want you to know I expect my words to be printed how I say them and in the same context. Do not fuck up this interview Tom, or I will personally see to it that the Bugle goes out of business within a month of it being printed."

Tony wanted to make sure they weren't going to construe his words to make it seem like anything less than it is. Reporters could be bold and toss words around in their reports that could ruin some people. Naturally, when the reporters did stories on Tony's sexual habits he had welcomed it, now he had to be careful, because now it wasn't just him in the picture on the page.

"This is Dr. Bruce Banner. And no, I'm not going after men now. Just this man. Dr. Banner here is my boyfriend," he said giving Bruce's shoulder a small squeeze. It felt a bit weird saying it out loud to a reporter. But he wanted to make it known that if he was seen walking out of Miss Potts house at night, it was always going to be purely for business now. Lucky, Tom Sanders got to be the first reporter to get a chance to interview him about it and likely the only one to get to with Bruce right next to him. "In all honesty, I'm giving up my playboy title. I can't really keep it when I'm in a committed relationship, can I?"

"I'll be sure to have everything word for word," Tom said with a quiver in his voice at the threat. Jameson would have his head if anything went that wrong. He was here to learn more of the Iron Avenger after a month of relative silence from the man since the alien attack.

"Congratulations. Must be a remarkable man to make _the _Tony Stark settle down," he turned to Bruce with an interest sparkling in his eye. "How did you get him to do that? Apparently even Miss Pepper Potts his last squeeze couldn't keep this Avenger."

Bruce gave a small smile from Tony's words. They were much more concise than what would have spewed from his mouth. Then the reporter directed at a question meant for him. He froze slightly, giving a wistful glance at Tony to help him out. His face was a bright red, and it only felt like it would get warmer. After much struggling, he pulled at his tie slightly and spoke up.

"Um well, I-I have no idea really. It sort of just happened," he managed to stop himself before he went on rambling. Banner bit his lip in order to keep it shut, in case he went off again. Breathing through his nose, he made sure to watch himself extra carefully. It was evident he was fairly worked up already.

Looking at the man Tony realized he was starting to get nervous. He moved the hand that wasn't around Bruce to hold on of Bruce's under the table. Slowly he made circles with his thumb in the back of Bruce's hand trying to calm him a bit. "It's like you said, he truly is a remarkable man."

Tony looked at the reporter seriously trying to hide the concern he had for Bruce. "Tom, if you wouldn't mind only directing questions at me. Dr. Banner prefers to keep his personal life a bit more private. Though he's given me permission to answer questions about our relationship because he understands my social position, he would prefer not be answering them himself."

Tom gave a pout, wanting more of a juicy answer. He kept his eyes on the doctor, and made a mental note to get back to him when he was alone. The reporter did give a nod to make Stark at ease and gave a smile. "I'm sorry, it's wonderful to know. I do enjoy both of your Avenger colours tonight. The classic Iron Man for Mr. Stark and a Hulk get up for Dr. Banner. I'm slightly disappointed; I would have thought you'd match each other."

Bruce was appreciating Tony's efforts to keep the man away from him. He was surprised that his watch hadn't gone off yet, until Tom started talking about the Avengers and loosely referred to him as the Hulk. That was the part of his identity he would never feel ready to disclosing on the world. The watch went off and Bruce gave a quick glance once he pulled out his glasses to read the thing. _134...You're okay Banner, relax...It's just the man pointing out a few facts. No one but the government knows who you really are..._

"Well, this a bit of a tribute to the Hulk for saving my life. Wherever he is, I want him to know I'm grateful for it. I figured there'd be enough press here snapping photos that if he's in the U.S. he'd see it," Tony was lying through his teeth, but he never missed a beat. He had thought through their attire and if someone would question it. "Dr. Banner is just kind enough to indulge me."

Hearing the watch go off he was ready to cut the interview short. He saw the numbers on the face of the watch and relaxed a bit. Things weren't getting out of hand yet. Hopefully Tom would not ask about the Hulk anymore.

Tom nodded, intrigued with what he was hearing. This was more of the thing he wanted to get for his article. But Stark's relationship would be a good spice to flavour up the story. The beeping coming from the doctor's watch was a minor annoyance, but it must have been an alarm for the man covered his wrist soon enough to muffle the sound so he chose to ignore it. "Marvelous. Would you want to relay the tail? Also, what of the other Avengers? If you don't know where the Hulk is, where are the others? Are you all available in case there's another crisis in the future?" he asked quickly, barely breathing in between questions.

Bruce was glad Tony had thought out a lie so quickly. He had covered his wrist while he breathed evenly so that his heart rate went down enough to silence the machine. He was also glad no questions were asked about it. There was a knowing blush on his face, he remembered Stark's interpretation of the event and he also witnessed it on TV. It was heartwarming to see that even as his 'monster' side, he could protect the people he cared for.

Tony smiled always happy to tell the tale as long as it was in front of Bruce. "Well after going into space my suit shut down. Guess I need a better long distance service, maybe I'll switch to Vonage. With my suit shut down I had no oxygen, even the arc reactor shut down. I began falling, next thing I knew I was lying on the ground with my mask off, looking at my teammates and praying no one gave me mouth to mouth. My teammates told me not only did that Hulk catch me as I fell out the sky, he kick started my heart again too."

As he said the last part he squeezed Bruce's hand gently, to thank him again. "Legally, I cannot disclose the location of the other Avengers. Just know that we can get in contact with each other if need be. And when the world needs us again, we will be there."

He said this with such pride, but it was a promise. He was pledging the Avengers would take care of the world every time they were under attack by something the militaries couldn't handle. It was a vow that he intended to keep.

"Well the world can't thank you enough. You and the other Avengers" Tom said gratefully. "I think I need to grab some more stories around the benefit now. Thank you for your time Mr. Stark and Dr. Banner. Look forward to seeing you two dancing in the article that'll be out in the next day or two in the Daily Bugle." He extended his hand to shake Tony's and Bruce's before running off to get his next story. He did give Bruce a look that seemed he was still interesting in learning more for the man; it would just have to be done another time.

Bruce let out a sigh of relief once Sanders was gone. He rested on Tony's shoulder trying to recuperate after sitting so tensely for so long. The feel of Tony's warm hand on his own was comforting. After a moment's rest, the doctor said with a smile, "I think the Hulk would say you're welcome."

Tony let the man rest for a while, the interview was probably a bit intense for him. Hearing Bruce's words he smiled. This was the first time he spoke of the other guy in such light. "Well, we'll see one day. I'm sure. But what does Bruce say about getting out of here? I think I was enough of a good host that Pepper won't bite my head off."

The billionaire was just ready to go home himself. It was annoying being around all these people that he barely remembered the names of. Then there were the poorly hidden stares that Tony wouldn't mind as much if he wasn't worried about Bruce getting upset or embarrassed.

Bruce nodded, relieved to hear the suggestion. They went back to the table to see Happy and Pepper chatting with one another. Banner was holding onto Stark's arm as heads turned to meet them. The doctor gave a blush and turned his head to look another way. Pepper could tell it was time to go by Stark's expression. She got up along with Happy to go to their sides.

"You alright Bruce? You two haven't been hammered with interviews yet have you?" she asked concerned.

"I-I'm alright for now. Thank you. We've only had one," he said meekly, appreciating the comfort.

Tony gave an awkward cough and pulled Bruce closer so he could whisper as they headed for the doors. "Bruce, whatever you do stay with me. Just keep walking and only stop if I stop. Most times Happy can get us through fast, but this is the first time I'm making an appearance since the alien attack, so they're pretty hungry."

As they walked out the door Happy took the lead, there were flashes everywhere and people yelling out questions and sticking out recorders to pick up on what ever they might say. It seemed the crowd was a lot larger than usual. All that could be heard were random words popping out of the crowd 'Avengers' and 'bi' and 'date.' No real cohesive questions could be heard over everyone trying to get their question in.

Bruce's breathing became very shallow, his eyes unable to divert themselves from everyone surrounding the group. He was starting to panic from being slightly claustrophobic after years of avoiding people and was now thrown into this tight space filled with people trying to get at them. Banner was only out there for moments and he could feel his heart race. There was nothing he could do, he couldn't even hear his watch from the shouts of random questions that became incoherent babbling. His breaths were completely irregular and he felt trapped. Quickly he pushed up his sleeve to see the watch. _189! Get the fuck out of there Banner!_

There was no time to heed Stark's warning, he spun around and headed back into the building, he dashed his way into what seemed to be the deserted men's room. Bruce leaned on the sink, trying to get his breath back together. He looked at his watch again after the run, which read 196 bpm. _Breathe Banner! _He thought to himself when a stall flushed and out came a familiar reporter he saw through the mirror.

"Dr. Banner! It's good to see you again," came from Tom Sanders going to wash his hands. "I was wondering if you would be so kind as to answer a few more questions for me." He said with a smile, completely unaware of the danger he was potentially in.

The surprise visitor was enough to do it. His watch flared off reading just over 200. Bruce's eyes turned a glowing green as he grabbed the man, opened the bathroom door, and shoved him out. He locked it soon enough and the horrible sensation of his entire body morphing took over. _No...,_ he thought before letting out a roar that echoed the hall as he transformed completely, the garments on the upper half of his body completely torn and were shaken onto the floor.

The Hulk looked around the bathroom and decided to make his own exit. He pushed off against the floor and sprung upwards, landing on top of the roof. The monster let out another roar as he looked down at the city below.


	10. Chapter 10 The Incredible Hulk

**Welcome back! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did writing it!**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, BUT IF WE DID, ALL HELL WOULD BREAK LOOSE. **

Chapter 10 - The Incredible Hulk

"Bruce!" Tony called after the man. This was bad. This was very, very bad. Happy had the case in his hand within five seconds. Tony ran in after the man trying to find him. It was hard considering his height. Spotting people spreading abruptly Tony ran to follow him. He stopped dead in tracks as soon as he heard the roar. "Oh, Fuck!"

He stopped and opened the case putting on the suit. As soon as the masked flipped down he was flying over the crowd to the bathroom. Unlike everyone else, Tom Sanders was standing by the door. _Reporters. They're so stupid. _"Happy"

Hearing his name being called on his phone he ran inside. "Yes, sir?"

"Get everybody out of here. But this man," he said pointing to Sanders "Bring to the garage at the Tower. Do not let him out your sight."

Happy nodded and cuffed the man to him with the cuffs that were meant for the case with the suit. "Come on we should probably go."

With that Tony blasted the door open and flew into the bathroom. He immediately saw the Hulk sized hole in the ceiling. It was obvious Bruce had tried very hard not to be seen. _Well, I guess we get that test run we wanted._ Tony flew through the hole to see the large green monster on the roof. He was scared shitless, but he wasn't about to let Bruce do something he'd regret so easily. He raised the mask so he could speak. "Hey big guy, first of all let me say thanks for saving me last time we met. Second, how bout we keep this as quiet as possible and with as little damage as possible."

He didn't know why he was talking to the Hulk like this, but it seemed better than just trying to shoot at him and piss him off. The suit could take a lot of things, but it could only handle so much Hulk thrashing. One punch and he could be dead.

The Hulk quickly turned around towards the sound of the voice. He recognized the man as a friend and lowered his arm so he wouldn't punch him automatically out of habit. He let out a huff to the man's first comment; he had done what Banner asked that time. Even if he was a friend, he had no real reason to save the man for other than getting a chance at a good smashing. Right now, he only obliged the second because there was nothing that he overly wanted to smash currently other than the annoying reporters that wouldn't leave him alone if he went down to the entrance.

"Hulk want to be left alone," he snorted. "Reporters and cameras bother Hulk." The green giant was talking more than he had ever before. There was more though process and not just mindless rage.

"Well in all honesty, they bother the hell out of me too. But they're just trying to make a living. How 'bout you calm down, and I'll get you out of here. We can fly away and they would be able to really take a lot of pictures," he said this, but to do that he had to have the Hulk become Bruce, and that was probably not on his agenda. On the upside, it seemed like the treatments were working.

"Tom Sanders, will be at the Tower soon. Wouldn't you love a crack at him? However, I can't fly with you, since you're so large..." he trailed hoping he wouldn't piss off the giant green not-so rage monster.

"Hulk not leaving yet! Hulk get home his way!" he snapped at the Iron Avenger with a growl. The gamma monster leaped from the top of the building, passed over a couple more before landing on the roof a block away. He kept repeating the process until he was at the Avengers' Tower balcony where he landed with a loud thud, shaking the ground underneath him.

The rest of the Avengers were up on the same floor, staring at the Hulk through the window. They had received the signal that Banner had lost control and they went up to the briefing room to see if they could track the man down. To their surprise, they saw his signature get closer and closer to the Tower and thus, landed in front of them.

Tony followed the Hulk trying to beat him there. He called Happy's phone. "Happy, stay away until I give you a call."

"All right." Happy took the man to a McDonalds near there. Mainly because fancy food always comes in too small portions.

Tony landed next to the Hulk lifting his mask. "Hi guys, no need to worry I've got this under control. Big guy here is being very reasonable."

It was half way true, it wasn't in _his _control, but it was relatively controlled, and the Hulk _was _being fairly reasonable. He hadn't destroyed anything yet, which was always a plus. "So, uh, big guy. Any particular thing you want to do? Can I get you a drink?"

"Want to be left alone," he grumbled, feeling irritated to have to repeat himself. They walked inside getting glances of 'what in the hell happened' from everyone at the table. The Hulk started to head for the elevator when a god at the table piped up.

"WHY DON'T YOU JOIN US? WE SHALL DRINK IN MERRIMENT! UNLESS YOU CANNOT ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE FROM THE MIGHTY THOR," Thor bellowed. He saw Stark's drink idea a good way to try and calm down the creature. At least enough to get him to sleep and hopefully get Banner to revert back to normal.

The Hulk snorted at the idea and turned around. "It's on, goldilocks," he said with a sneer. There was still a grudge he held for getting tossed around on the helicarrier, even if he got his revenge by punching the man across the room while he wasn't paying attention.

"I'll get my good tequila, and jager," Stark said going to his bar. He was grateful Thor caught on so quick. Bringing a couple large bottles of the drinks and a few large mugs, he set them out so they could begin. Hopefully, Thor could out drink the man.

Rogers looked at them in bewilderment. They wanted to get the beast drunk? That would just make him less rational and more likely to kill them all. He was going to say something, before it hit him. They were trying to make him sleep. He felt so stupid. "I'll get in on this." Usually it was against Rogers code to drink, but this time it was for the safety of the people in New York.

Natasha stood shaking her head. "Well you boys have fun then I'm going to contact Fury, about the guests that need to be talked to."

"I don't feel like grilling anymore, think I'll go with her," Hawkeye said following Natasha to the elevator. As much as he'd love to see all of them get drunk off their asses, he didn't want to get killed over it.

"I HOPE YOU HAVE A HEFTY STOCK, MAN OF IRON, THIS WILL TRULY BE A BATTLE OF THE AGES," Thor said accepting a mug, pouring a drink for all of them. He passed them around with an eager eye, he hadn't been out matched in a drinking contest yet and he wasn't planning on getting a defeat that night. "MAY THE BEST MAN WIN!" the man screamed as he downed the glass jager he poured for himself, slamming it on the table.

The Hulk drank the tequila in one swift gulp. It would take a lot more than that to bring him down so easily. He was rather enjoying the puny human's and god's attempt at trying to best him, but it would only be a matter of time.

"Don't worry Thor, I have a very good stock." Tony watched the men as they began. He had decided to ref. Though he was a good drinker, he couldn't keep up with the other men without killing himself. He kept pouring drinks as they sucked them down.

The Captain kept up with the other men. "This stuff is disgusting," he said before sucking down another glass. He was impressed by Tony's ability to keep up with them all in pouring. This was probably something he had done before.

"What? Can't keep it down Flagman?" Hulk snickered with a confident glint in his eyes. He grinned as he let out a large belch that even Thor couldn't compete with. At one point, he got tired of Stark having to fill his glass and just took the bottle from the man, downing it in seconds. He let out a sigh of air once he finished it off. His head was starting to become woozy, but there was no way he was going to back down.

"WAHAHA! THAT'S THE SPIRIT!" Thor exclaimed as he took the Hulk's example and took one of the alcoholic bottles. He finished it off in a little longer than the Hulk, but that was due to different body dimensions and the Hulk was considerably larger.

"I can handle a hell of a lot more than you!" he said grabbing a bottle and chugging the awful tasting liquid. It burned his throat as it went down, but he refused to choke in front of these men. He was a _real _man he would not be emasculated in front of them.

"Well if that's the case I'll get some more bottles," Tony said going behind the bar and grabbing one of his crates of alcohol.

The Hulk downed another three bottles while waiting for the Iron Avenger to return. Switching from jager to the tequila that was scattered about, his breath was become haggard, but he was still determined to see this through. There was going to be nothing less that goldilocks' defeat at his hands.

"HA! KEEP UP FRIENDS! NO MIDGARDIAN SHALL BEST ME!" The god was keeping up, matching the Hulk from practice on Asgard. He was getting quite the match, by the sixth bottle of the strong liquor he was starting to feel the alcohol take its toll.

The Cap was a bit slower, but he was keeping up with them. Due to his accelerated metabolism the alcohol wasn't even touching him. He smiled as he heard the Hulk's breathing. He chugged another bottle down, now used to the burn in his throat. He hoped the Hulk would soon turn into Bruce, because he had to piss like a racehorse.

Tony kept bringing bottle upon bottle of liquor. He prayed that Hulk would be done soon, because this floor's bar was almost cleaned out, he'd have to go to the next floor and bring up more. He decided to see how everyone was feeling. "So, anyone starting to feel a buzz?"

"I DO NOT UNDERSTAND. IS THERE AN INSECT NEARBY?" Thor asked, confused from the Midgardian lingo. He didn't think too hard on the matter and went straight back to finishing off the bottle he had in his hand.

"BWAHAHAHA!" the Hulk started cackling. The god's ignorance was enough to set the giant man off with the amount of alcohol he consumed. Even with his giant body mass, it wasn't accustomed to having alcohol in its system. So the Hulk had gotten drunk, only a bottle or two shy from half a dozen combinations of tequila and jager.

"Thor, he's asking you if you're beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol. By the sound of it Hulk really is," the captain said after finishing another bottle. "I'm not feeling a thing. Though I really have to pee."

Tony smiled when he heard the Hulk laugh. Finally, the beast was drunk. It had taken long enough. "Hulk, I have more down stairs if you'll help me carry it." Tony wanted to lead him to his and Bruce's bedroom. He hoped the beast would fall asleep on the bed in there, but worst case scenario he was able to lock the beast in the room.

"Hulk not drunk!" he said very defensively, getting up in the captain's face. The giant green monster looked as if he was ready to brawl before Stark suggested more things to drink. He let out a huff of air through his nose and backed away to follow the metal man. Hulk entered the elevator first, which made it nearly impossible for Iron Man to squeeze in with him. There was virtually no room for the both of them, but the door managed to close as Stark's back was pressed against the Hulk's torso. The close proximity making the beast emit a low growling sound.

"Sorry big guy, I'll get away as soon as we're at the floor," Tony said not wanting to upset the beast. He pressed the button and JARVIS quickly took them to the floor with the high tech bed room. As soon as the doors opened, Tony was out of the enclosed space and led the beast to the room. He hadn't been lying there was more to drink there, but he wasn't going to let the beast be where he could do damage. "What do you say to cracking a few of these open before going up to see the other guys?"

The Hulk snorted in amusement at another human trying to challenge him. Or at least what he perceived as a challenge. The opened the crate without effort and tossed the nail ridden board across the room. He picked a random bottle from the bunch and opened the liquor and downed it slower than he had upstairs. This one was actually starting to hurt him in his endeavors, without realizing that it had a higher proof than the other bottles he seamlessly went through.

Tony smiled watching the Hulk guzzle his special stash. This was some of the strongest alcohol he could find. He saved these for when he was really, really depressed. Tony poured himself a small glass and sipped at it as he secretly entered the code into his phone to lock down the room. He would be able to get out through his special escape hatch, but he prayed the beast would fall asleep before he realized they were locked in. Tony sat in one of the computer chairs. "This is my special stash. My best tasting stuff. So enjoy it. I'm trying to quit. As you can see, I'm not very successful."

The door closed with a locking sound after a period of rest within the room. There was no warning, and even in his drunken state the Hulk could figure out that it probably wasn't beneficial to him. The monster let a growl from discomfort and scrutinized the man sipping at his drink in the corner. He asked, slightly slurred, "Why door close?"

"It's an automatic thing. Since I don't usually come to bed alone, I prefer my privacy," It was only half a lie. It wasn't automatic, but he didn't normally go to bed alone and he definitely enjoyed his privacy with Bruce. Especially since the man would probably Hulk out if someone walked in when they were in the middle of relations. "It's kind of a turn off if someone walks by and sees me in the middle of having sex."

"With Banner," the Hulk said with an angry in his voice at the mention of the name. He had been on the verge of coming out before while in their acts. So fucking close, but somehow the man in the corner managed to make Bruce suppress him from coming out. That was enough to make him want to smash the man's head in at that point. However, he was seeing two heads and he was still having at the case of liquor at his feet.

"Oh, so you do know about his relationship with me. Well, I never really get to have sex with him. Only fool around, but I'm sure you know of that," Tony said a bit irritated, the alcohol was actually starting to get to his head a bit, and now he was mouthing off to the large man. "I got to be honest. I love Bruce, and I'm actually liking you a bit, but cock blocking me is really not cool. It's been over two months since I've had sex and it's getting annoying. So if you don't mind letting me enjoy myself with my boyfriend just once."

"Metal man keep stopping Hulk from coming out! Hulk SMASH Metal man!" the Hulk roared, enraged at how obvious the man didn't want him to come out. The Hulk wanted Banner gone so he could have his body.

The beast slammed his drink on the ground, glass shards exploding across the room. He ran to charge for the Iron Avenger, but the room was spinning too fast at the sudden movement. There were four Starks in front of him and he went for the one on the right, smashing his skull right into the Hulk proof wall. He collapsed onto his back at the impact, the combination of the head trauma and alcohol knocking him out cold.

Soon enough, the giant green unconscious rage monster on the floor of the room morphed back into the half-naked Bruce Banner. His pants had amazingly survived the transformation, but were of course way too big for the small man now and only laid on top of his lower body. Not that the man cared much, he was still out, finally resting, presumably peacefully.

Tony was ready to fly away when the Hulk began to yell, but seeing the beast run so off course he didn't move. It amazed him that the Hulk had managed to knock himself out like that. A small smile graced his lips as he saw his Banner return to him. He removed the way too large pants from Banner and put the man in the bed. "E=MC^2"

With that the room deactivated and Tony walked out the door. As he walked he called Happy. "Happy please bring Mr. Sanders to the parking garage."

"Already there."

"Good, I'll be down in a moment," he said before hanging up to call Rogers and Thor to let them know the plan had worked and thanked them. Once he got to the garage his mask flipped down and he flew towards the reporter. He lifted the man up by the color of his shirt. "Happy, uncuff yourself. I'm going to need full motion."

Happy did as told and removed the cuffs from the man. Tony held the man up higher now that he had more leverage. "You will tell me everything you saw right now."

"I-I have no idea what's going on! One moment I'm in the stall taking a dump, I come out to see your boyfriend. The next thing I knew, he throws me out of the room and locks the door on me! Hell, it was freaky! His eyes changed colours for some reason! All I wanted was a private interview and then I heard this giant roar. Then there was you flying to the scene. Why don't _you_ tell me what really went on!" Tom said while struggling to hold on. He was gripping at Iron Man's arm as it held him by the collar of his suit. "This is nuts! You can't do this!"

"Keep talking science to me Tony...," Bruce moaned as he rolled over on the bed. His head felt like it had been run over by a bulldozer and his stomach was no better off. He stumbled to the bathroom to unattractively stick his head in the toilet and relieve his pained stomach. He got up and washed his face, trying to figure out what in the hell happened to make him feel this sick after his Hulk out. Walking out of the bathroom, he got his answer; empty bottles of liquor littered the floor along with broken glass. He also spotted his stretched out pants and riffled through them to find his ID card.

Banner's head was still pounding, but the need to figure out that Tony was alright was more important. There definitely looked like there was a confrontation in the room and he'd be damned if he hurt his partner.

"JARVIS, where's Tony?" he asked going into the play boy's closet. He needed something to wear if he was going to leave the room to find the man, and fiddling around with his normal dress shirts wasn't appealing to him right now.

"He's in the basement, sir. He's integrating a young man by the name of Tom Sanders."

"Oh...right," he said remembering his last moments of himself before the Hulk out. Bruce quickly threw on an Aerosmith tee shirt he found and a pair of Stark's jeans, both too large, but a belt too care of the problem. The doctor pocketed his ID card before heading to the elevator. Soon enough, there was Iron Man holding up the poor journalist by the cuff of his tux.

"If I can't do it, then why am I doing it?" he asked smugly. This man pissed him off. Even after telling the man Bruce preferred to be left alone he was going to try and prey on him when Tony wasn't around. "You are going to forget everything you saw and heard understand? If you so much as think about telling someone I will show you what this suit can really do."

"That's enough Mr. Stark," came the stern voice of Nick Fury as he got out his car walked with Natasha and Clint. The one eyed man watched as Stark literally dropped Sanders. He nodded to Natasha and she walked over to the man injecting him with a strange liquid. "When he wakes up he won't be able to remember the last few hours. The next time something like this happens instead of threatening someone, let me handle it. Though there shouldn't be a next time."

Natasha dragged the sleeping man with her as she tossed him into the car Fury had just gotten out of. Fury got into the car riding away with the reporter. "In all honesty, I think you handled that well, though if you really wanted to keep him quiet you should have killed him."

"Heh, don't think he has it in him," Barton said teasing the man. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see a figure coming out of the elevator. Most people wouldn't have been able to identify from their range, but that's what separated Clint from others. "Looks like Jade Jaws went to sleep and your boyfriend came out to play Shell Head. Why don't you do something nice for a change and help the poor man out."

Bruce wandered barefoot into the garage. He was having a hard time standing straight, but Tony caught him once he stumbled into his arms. Not as comfortable as the real thing, but the sturdy suit was enough to keep him up off the floor. "What did I miss?" Banner asked weakly.

Ignoring Clint's comment, Tony raised the mask so he could smile at Bruce. Tony lifted the man off the floor taking him into the elevator. "I'll tell you once you're back in bed." Looking at the man's attire his smile grew "I must say you look absolutely fabulous in my clothes. You should wear them more often, just with less pants."

When they reached their floor Tony took the man to the bedroom and laid Bruce in the bed. It appeared JARVIS had sent Dummy up to clean up the glass, which he had done a good job of. "You freaked out at the press invasion and Hulked out, it seems the treatments have been working well. Nothing was broken, and he only took a swing at me once when I pissed him off, but he was so drunk he missed and knocked himself out. I'll be right back, don't pass out before I get back."

Quickly Stark went to his lab to have JARVIS take off the suit. Once that was finished he went back to the room and began removing his tux as he spoke. "I think you handled the whole situation well. No one got hurt and there was only minor damage."

"A drunk Hulk would explain why my head is going to explode currently," Bruce said resting his head on a pillow while Stark was leaving. His stomach was only feeling slightly better than that from having some of its contents been forcibly removed. He had nearly fallen asleep there when Stark showed up again. The doctor let out a sigh of relief to the information.

"Thank god," he said covering his eyes with his arm. His body was giving out and he didn't even feel like he had the energy to take off Stark's clothes himself. He rested quietly, thinking of what could have gone worse. But he remembered his promise to himself the day he first came to the Tower. How if he was in anyway shape or form of going to hurt anyone, he'd leave. He had broken the promise already by crushing the man's feelings by trying to keep it, but now this was where his real concerned lied: in the other guy. If he can't control it, how is he going to prevent himself from harming Tony in the future. The man had already said that he did lash out at the man. It's a miracle that Stark was even standing after that attack.

"Tony, I'm so so sorry," his voice cracking slightly. He was terrified that everything had turned to that over his inability to control himself.

After he had stripped down to his boxers, Tony went into his drawer and pulled out two aspirin. He handed them to the man and gave him a light kiss to the forehead. He began undressing the man starting with his shirt. He removed the man's pants tossing all the clothes on the floor. Though he was being a good boyfriend and taking care of the man, it didn't keep him from taking a nice look at the tired man's nude body.

"Why are you apologizing? No one was hurt. We got to test our work. I even got a chance to talk to the other guy. He has a very booming laugh, and burps that put Thor to shame."

He chuckled a bit remembering the scene. He went to the other side of the bed and laid down. He pulled the man into his arms so he could lay on his chest. Trying to calm the man down he stroked the man's hair gently and rubbed his back. "In all honesty I had fun tonight. I really enjoyed getting to dance you. I'd like to do that again sometime."

"Thank you," Bruce whispered into Stark's chest. He wrapped his arms around the man's torso, softly holding onto Stark's soft skin. His head was still pounding, and sleep was sounding to be fantastic at the moment. He closed his eyes and fell asleep on Tony's chest for the first time. Normally, they would spoon for the night, Banner looking away from Tony, too embarrassed to face him. But right now, after the entire night and Tony still could make him feel right, it felt more welcoming and safer to sleep towards the man, rather than away.

"Anytime, Bruce. Anytime," he said closing his eyes. He could feel the man's breath on his chest. It was warm and shallow. It was a comforting feeling as Tony slowly drifted off to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11 Birthday

**Happy Thorsday everyone! Here's the new chapter for the week and my partner has been dying for you guys to get it. Like normal, sex is between the lines (going to stop doing this in the future because I'm lazy. And I hope you guys get the animal cracker reference ;3**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. WE ARE JUST HUMBLE CITY FOLK WISHING FOR MORE FANFICTION IN THE WORLD.**

Chapter 11 - Birthday  
Tony awoke to the morning sun light coming from the windows. He opened his eyes with only a small headache telling him to keep them closed. Looking down, for once he saw Bruce's face rather than the back of the man's head. This made him smile a bit. Today was going to be fun. Tony had decided to deem today as Bruce's birthday. There was a lot Tony had to do, but he really didn't want Bruce to know that he was even setting up the surprise for today. He definitely had to think of a way to keep the man in the bedroom while he got everything set up.  
"Good morning," Tony said kissing the man's forehead trying to wake him up gently. He was bound to still be a bit shaken up from last night's activities. Tony pulled Bruce closer to him enjoying the warmth that was given off. It was better than lying in the sun.

"Not right now it isn't," Bruce groaned into Stark's chest. His head was throbbing, somehow hurting more than it did the previous night. He managed to open his eyes to be blinded by the small amount of light hitting his face, where he immediately covered them with his arm and snuggled deeper into Stark's chest. The worn doctor held onto Tony tighter, the fact the man was holding him was the only reason he was able to operate.

"Oh ho ho. Hungover are you? JARVIS please close the blinds," He said having sympathy for the hungover man in his arms. He knew exactly how it felt to get so hammered that waking up in the morning was nearly impossible.  
"Yes, sir," JARVIS said before closing the blinds to darken the room.  
"Better?" he asked quietly. This hangover could work to his advantage. If the man was really, really hung over, then Tony would be able to get the surprise ready in time. He stroked the man's hair gently. "So next time I'm hungover, you'll help me out by not making me do work right?"

"Mmm," Bruce groaned again as a reply. He moved his arm away and noticed his shackle was gone like it normally was after a Hulk out. The physicist let out a sigh and rolled over onto his back to free Stark to allow him to get up.  
"I'm going to need a new watch," he said looking up at the ceiling. The fact he changed last night still hurt, but luckily his head was paining him enough to not dwell too badly on the subject. "As much as I'd still love to mess around in the lab, I wouldn't be able to read a damn thing. My glasses were in my coat pocket back at the Cipriani, and there were probably crushed." Bruce let out another sigh and rubbed his temple to see if he could make himself even get out of bed.

"Tell JARVIS your prescription and he'll order you a new set. I'll pick it up later," he said not saying anything about the shackle. It was obvious this hangover was very bad. Especially since Bruce had nowhere near as much experience as Tony when it came to dealing with that type of pain. "How about you stay in bed and try to sleep off this hangover, while I get some work done. I'll come and wake you when your glasses are done so you can help, because by that time your head should feel better."

"Alright," Bruce whispered, nearly going back to sleep. He told the AI system what his prescription was and the robot ordered it in for him. "Please, nothing too expensive. Anything will do."  
Bruce rolled over yet again and buried himself in the blanket this time, the warmth and dark feeling infinitely better than the short glimpse of light that he had earlier. "Goodnight," he mumbled from under the covers.

"Good night, Bruce," he said quietly as he got dressed in the tee shirt and jeans Bruce had worn the previous night. Grabbing his I.D. card he left the room to prepare. First things first he had JARVIS tell Happy to deliver the glasses to him when they were ready. He then went to the lab to work on a special gift for Bruce, taking him only an hour. Next he set up a table with a cloth and a Bunsen burner for a candle. Hurrying to the kitchen he shooed Dummy out. After three hours Tony had managed to make two decent omelets. He took them down to the lab and placed them on the table. He then hid the desert he had for a second surprise. "JARVIS dim the lights, and please turn on the burner when we walk through the door."  
"Yes, sir." Tony then sat in the lab to watch a special informational video. Laci Green's video on how to properly have anal sex. It wasn't that he'd never had anal sex, he knew to use lube and to 'prepare' his partner, but there was a point on men that women didn't have and he needed to know where it specifically was and how to stimulate it. After he went to the garage he met Happy and got the glasses. It was all timed pretty well. He went to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed and gave Bruce a small shake.  
"Hey, big guy. Feeling better?" he asked gently in case he had miscalculated the intensity of the head ache.

"I only feel like I was hit by a truck rather than a bulldozer, so much better," Bruce grumbled. He untangled himself out of his cocoon of fabric and sat up on the bed, holding his head in one of his hands. All in all, his headache was a lot less severe. It was now possible for the man to move around and do something without wanting to collapse on the spot and sleep.  
Banner leaned over to rest on Tony some more, still feeling like he could use the rest. "Five more minutes?" the small man teased.

"Mmm you can have five more minutes if you promise to work in your current state of dress," he teased. He loved seeing the man nude. It was the main reason he actually got up in the morning, he wanted to see the man before he dressed. "We have a lot of work to do today. We have to record our findings."  
He knew if he made it seem like he was actually willing to do work, Bruce would get up sooner. Not to mention Bruce would probably want a play by play of exactly what happened.

"I'll get dressed," he moaned raising his head off of Tony's shoulder. Bruce made his way out of bed where he had to try to ignore the fact Stark was staring at him intently. He made his way over to the closet, every step seeming infinitely farther than it actually was. His head might have been clearer, but his body was still in protest. "I hope you don't mind me taking another ensemble from your closet. My room feels too far right now."

"It's no problem. I like seeing you in my clothes. Besides they are much easier to take off of you," he said with a teasing tone. He waited for the man to get dressed feeling his body fill with more and more excitement. He was almost ready to toss the man over his shoulder and carry him into the elevator.

"Oh right. Your glasses, here," he said placing the specs on the desk next to him. He walked over to the elevator and smiled, "I'll meet you in the gamma lab." With that he went back down to wait for the man so he could properly see his reaction.

Bruce rummaged through Tony's closet finding an AC/DC shirt and a pair of jeans. Like everything else, they were both too big for the small man, but he wasn't going to complain. He liked his clothes bigger anyways on the chance he would have an incident.

He wandered out of the room to find where Tony placed his new glasses. They looked rather expensive, surely on behalf of Stark's doing, but he would need them if he was to work again. Banner placed them in his pocket and saw his bare wrist. It felt odd without his watch, but he could at least use the ID card for now. Unfortunately, they were in the pants he borrowed yesterday to find Stark, which Stark was currently wearing. He made a mental note to try and get it from the man without Tony coming on to him.

The doctor made it into the elevator with minimal amount of staggering. He was soon in the gamma lab to see the lab table converted into a dining area, each side of it set with something that Bruce would assume Tony made. A burner on the table went off as he walked in wondering what the hell was going on to his lab, not that it wasn't appreciated. He was rather hungry after sleeping away most of the day; his body was craving some form of nutrition. The science theme of the table was rather amusing too, which caused Bruce to give a small smile.

"So is this the work you did while I was unconscious?" he asked with a suspicious tone in his voice. There was usually a price in everything the man did, and he assumed this would be no exception.

"This and other things," he said walking over to the man. He cupped his face and said very gently "Happy Birthday Bruce."

Then he gently kissed the man. Taking his hand he led him to the table and pulled the chair out for him. When the man sat he pushed the chair in for him. Going to the other side he sat down and smiled. "I took my time making the omelets. They should be edible and taste way better than my sandwiches."

It seemed Bruce enjoyed the surprise. Tony was happy that there was more to come. He really hoped the man loved all this, because he was saving the best for last and he wanted the man to gasm over it.

Bruce gladly accepted the man's kiss and followed him to his seat. He could hardly believe that Tony was following through with this. It was unexpected, but very nice. Even with his headache, it put him in a much better mood.

"Tony...Thank you," he said with a blush. The small man was starving and dug into the meal on the table. Anything at that point would have tasted fantastic, even Dummy's cooking, since he had slept after taking in so much alcohol with no water or food to offset the effects. But Stark had amazingly outdone himself and made a real meal for once. "It's delicious. That or you drugged me without my consent while I was out," Banner said jokingly.

"No, but I'll keep that suggestion for a later date. That sounds like it could be fun," he teased. As they ate Tony couldn't help but fidget a bit with excitement. He was sure the man would love his next surprises. "Dessert or your present first?"

"Dessert," Bruce said after finishing off his omelet. It wasn't like it took him long since he inhaled the thing, having something in his stomach to offset the hangover felt too marvelous to pass up. After finishing that, he still felt slightly light headed. Sugar would do the man some good. "I could use an energy boost."

Tony smiled and got the hidden goods out of a nearby cabinet, pulling out two marshmallow holders, a large bag of marshmallows, three bars of chocolate, a box of graham crackers, and a special treat: a box of animal crackers. He had found them in his stash of snacks to eat when he was tired of Dummy's food and felt the sweet taste would go well with s'mores. "Ever roast a marshmallow over a Bunsen burner?"

"Occasionally, when I slipped out of class to avoid people. I'd just go to the science department and one of the teachers there loved marshmallows and shared occasionally. That was before I tried to blow up the school," Bruce said awkwardly scratching his head. S'mores were a special treat he got when he actively avoided getting bullied by the kids at the school. One of his teachers was kind enough to let him hide out in his room and shared the snack with him. Sadly, Bruce couldn't even remember the name of the man anymore.

Banner coughed trying to erase his last statement. It wasn't something he was overly proud of. It had been a low time, like the rest of his childhood that he wanted to end badly. He quickly tried to change the subject. "I really do enjoy animal crackers. I haven't had them in years. Well, that and the rest of these sweets."

Tony was quite surprised to hear the man had actually used science equipment for anything but science. He was even more surprised to hear Bruce had tried to blow up the school. It was something that peaked his interest; he had so many questions to ask the man about it. However it was easy to see that Bruce didn't want to talk about it, and since it was his birthday they were going to talk about what he wanted to talk about.

"Well I'm glad I grabbed them then. Shall we?" he asked handing the man a marshmallow holder before loading up his own. He held the sweet treats near the flame so it could begin to cook. "Maybe we should put the marshmallows and chocolate on the animal crackers instead."

"I'd enjoy that," Bruce said with a smile on his face. He was relieved that Stark didn't press the matter of his school ethics on him and took the skewer he was handed. The doctor popped an animal cracker in his mouth as he waited for the marshmallow to turn a golden brown. He enjoyed the not so sweet cracker's taste and picked out four for the both of them. He put a small piece of chocolate on a lion and a elephant, and placed his fully cooked marshmallow on the little giant. Squishing the elephant and a giraffe together with the sticky treat, he took a bite and savoured it. Unfortunately, most of the soft mallow fluff squeezed onto the doctor's hands, something he didn't particularly enjoy. Mainly because he lost most of the inside of his treat.

Tony smiled as he watched the man enjoy the sweet treat. It was quite amusing to watch the man experiment using the much smaller base. Tony had just popped the chocolate and animal cracker in his mouth while he let the marshmallows cool then ate the gooey sweet off the holder directly.

He watched Bruce put the sticky dessert into his mouth and chuckled when he saw the mess on his hands. Tony reached across the table to take the man's soiled hand. He licked the cream slightly before taking two fingers into his mouth to try to suck and lick off the mess.

Bruce nearly choked on his little sandwich at Tony's sudden action. He downed it before that could happen and a blush darkened across his face. Stark's tongue wrapping around his fingers felt incredibly nice and, honestly, started to get him excited.

"T-Tony," he said flustered. Without his heart monitor, he was very paranoid about starting anything that would work him up too much.

Once the fingers were sufficiently cleaned, Tony went to licking the man's palm. He only released that hand when he felt it sufficiently cleaned. "Yes?" He asked before starting on the next hand following the same actions. It was obvious the man was getting flustered, but that was Tony's intent.

"Stop...," Bruce said as a mix between a moan and a request. Stark was doing a good job working him up, and he was only playing with his hand. The doctor bit his lip and tried to outwait Tony and his desires, but seeing that he was moving to his other hand, it didn't seem likely.

"N-Not without my watch. Or my ID card, which is in your pocket right now," the doctor said looking at the floor defeated by his own wants.

Tony pouted a bit but stopped. It was Bruce's birthday, so he was willing to give in to the man. Letting go of the man he reached into his pocket and grabbed the ID card. He handed Bruce the item. "Well I suppose now if as good a time for you to open your gift as any."

He turned off the Bunsen burner so there was no issue with something catching fire. He handed the man a small box, containing a new shackle that was a lot more stylish. "Here love."

Bruce opened the box to see a circular device. He took it out, the head looked like that of his old watch, but vamped up with Stark Industries technology. He placed it on his wrist and a metal incremented band formed around it, locking itself on the other side. Even with the higher tech, Tony still thought of the man by making the device purple, the light off the watch the same colour as Stark's glowing arc reactor.

"Thank you," Banner gave a weak smile, but it was one of appreciation. It's not like he really wants to wear a watch all the time, it's a reminder of the life he can't go back to, even if it wasn't so great to begin with. "I assume you unloaded an entire bank on developing this. What special features did you add?" he teased knowing that his guess was probably half correct.

"You're welcome love," he said admiring the smile that had appeared on the man's face. He didn't know how Banner would react to getting another watch as a gift, but it seemed to go over pretty well. Hearing Banner's words he smiled, "Ah Banner baby you know me so well. When your heart rate reaches 190 the watch will inject you with a drug to lower your heart rate, it's likely to knock you out, but if it doesn't I'm sure you'll enjoy the high."

He laughed a bit at the thought of Bruce high. Banner was right, he had spent a lot of money making that watch, but it was worth it. Besides with the new contract coming up it would seem like spending nothing, like most things for Tony.

"Did you make it a vibrator too? Because I know how much of a turn off the alarm was on the other one. Or do I get a nice notification from JARVIS? I'm really hoping for the latter," Bruce said jokingly. He really did appreciate the gift. Something to stop him from himself as a fall back was always useful.

"Also how is this metal going to withstand me changing? Will it expand with me? Just in case I do, erm, Hulk out again," he asked fidgeting with his hands, the guilt of him turning finally took his toll on the man.

"Man, now I really wish I would have thought of that. Maybe as an upgrade. Yes, JARVIS will notify if you have the sound on. You can choose to put the voice on silent and it will vibrate instead. Oh, I guess it is a vibrator," he laughed a bit thinking of its uses now.

"The metal will expand with you, it won't break next time," he said proudly. It was a modification he made when he realized how much making the watch cost. He was a billionaire, but he couldn't afford to keep making new ones every time one broke. "So what do you think?"

"It's perfect. Thank you," Bruce said with a blush. He moved around the lab table to give Tony a loving hug and kiss. Stark took care of him well, and it was very much appreciated. Banner gave a soft stroke over Tony's back, there was of course payback for teasing him while he had no protection of his own.

Tony smiled kissing the man back. Feeling the slight movement made him shiver a bit. It was on to his next surprise, but that was probably going to be a bit harder than the others. He put his hands on the man's hips, pulling him a bit closer. "And what do you think _you're _doing?"

"Seeing if I could properly tease _the _Tony Stark," Bruce said with a shrug. The closer contact did make him continue in his never ending blush. Tony's strong hands on him, pulling him closer, it was enough to forget that he had a hangover entirely. The small headache he had before completely overshadowed by Tony's dominating movements.

"Oh you definitely can. You've been teasing me since you got here, thank you very much," he said with a cocky smile. It was true, Banner was a bit of a cock tease and it killed Tony sometimes. "Well then why don't you come over here and tease me?"

Tony loved seeing Banner take the lead. Even if it was just a tease, it was the sexiest thing the man could do, other than talk science that is.

"Seeing how eager you are, it'd be more of a tease if I refused," Bruce came back with a cocky smile of his own. He knew he'd have an advantage on Stark there.

"Well look at you with the snarky comments. Do you really want me to tease _you?" _he asked with that devious glint in his eyes. If he was going to take control then he was going to make sure Banner was paid back for being such a tease.

"Y-yes," he said embarrassed to admit it, gripping at Stark's Aerosmith shirt. His eyes purposefully diverting Stark's by looking down at his arc reactor. Bruce had come to learn to be terrified by anything and everything Stark had to offer, yet despite all that, he did enjoy Tony's teasings.

* * *

"If you insist," he said before standing up and pushing everything off the lab table quickly. Turning around he lifted Bruce up and laid him on the table. He crawled over the man and began nibbling on his ear before whispering huskily into the man's ear. "You know I love the laws of _motion._"

He had emphasized motion to add a sexual tone to it. He figured if he got hot when Banner talked science then Banner should get extremely hot when he talks science, specifically physics. He began sucking on Banner's neck breaking away from the skin only to speak

"First: an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by another force. Second: a net force is defined by mass time acceleration of the object. And my all-time favorite, number three every action has an equal, but opposite reaction," he emphasized this with a sharp, but careful bite to the man's neck and grinding his hips down against Bruce's.

"F-Fuck!" Bruce moaned in pleasure at the quick action to his pelvis. It felt fantastic and Stark speaking it all in his language of science made it all the better. Just saying the laws out loud in Stark's sexy and seductive voice had given Banner a hard on.

"I've always been a fan of Newton's Third," he said smiling after he regained himself partially. Bruce ran his hands along Tony's sides. Swiftly, he pulled at his shirt to allow his hands to dance alongside Stark's soft skin.

"No, no, no, no. You wanted me to tease you. You can look, but you can't touch," he said with an evil smile. It was obvious he was paying Bruce back for his earlier snarky comment. He removed his shirt from Bruce and smiled at the fresh canvas of skin below him. He moved further down to begin playing with the man's nipples, switching between them they both got and equal amount of sucking, pinching, and nipping. Once he felt they were properly stimulated he straddled Bruce's thighs as he sat up.

"You know Bruce, I've always been a fan of biology too, especially the replication of DNA. I've always learned from it, specifically the way helicase unzips genes," he said sensually as he unzipped the man's pants and popped the button off. He rotated his hips slowly to rub their crotches against each other.

"Mmm...Tony," Bruce tried to suppress a moan by biting his lip as the man took away his privileges, stripped away his pride, and started playing with his body. His breathing techniques were coming in handy, he kept a calm even breath as Stark fooled around. The new watch on his wrist remained silent. Banner kept his hands leveled with his head, trying to resist touching the man who was situated on him. There would of course be more punishment if he didn't obey the rules Tony set.

Then Stark made a horrible enzyme joke causing Bruce to give a hearty laugh as his pants were being taken care of. The laughing turned to moans of pleasure as Stark started rubbing himself on his now full blown erection. He squirmed under Stark as he changed the pace from fast and hard to slow and sensual.

"Fuck!" The physicist yelped while Stark was taking his time on an extra slow grind. "T-There needs to be more friction."

Tony smiled encouraged by the moans. Stark had a hard on himself, but he really didn't want to stop teasing the man. This was definitely some of the more playful foreplay they had ever done. Tony dragged his hands slowly down the man's chest. "Can you ask for it nicely?"

Now he knew why Bruce did this too him. Tony had never been one to tease, usually he hopped right into it once he was given the okay. This was way more fun.

"P-please," he begged. "Your applied force and the friction it creates is fantastic. Please create more!" Bruce grabbed Tony's hips, unable to control himself. He felt around Stark's jeans and the elastic to his boxers and massaged at his thighs, just begging for the man to come down on him harder.

Tony felt his penis twitch at the man's begging. That was absolutely hot. Tony grinded down with more speed and more pressure, it just felt amazing. After a few seconds of that he just stopped and got off the man he pulled off the man's pants and underwear to see his erection standing tall and proud. "I see my teasing has been pretty fun huh?"

He took off his own pants and boxers. He stopped to admire his work. It was his usual marks that covered the man's body, but it just seemed so much better since he really took his time. Slowly he ran a finger from the man's neck, down the middle of his chest, and stopped at the brown hairs at the beginning of his pelvis. "It's your birthday, so what are you in the mood for today?"

"Y-Yes," Bruce moaned, turning his head away from the man. He was still embarrassed every time the man examined his body thoroughly. He twitched endlessly as Tony's finger traveled down his torso, his skin's sensitivity heightened along with his cock. His breathing was kept under wraps and he gave a smug smile at Stark's words.

"You mean to tell me you've run out of surprises?" he asked sarcastically. The surprises so far have been pretty enjoyable, he wondered what else Tony had on his mind for him.

"Really Bruce? Sarcasm? I thought you would have learned your lesson about trying to out snark me," he said taking off his tee shirt. He folded it so it would be a rectangle. Gently he placed it over the man's eyes making sure to leave the man's lips and nose uncovered for easy breathing. "I do have another surprise, but no looking for it."

Going to the cabinet where he had hid the dessert, he pulled out a brand new tube of lube and a pack of condoms. He walked back to the table where Bruce was, putting the condoms to the side for now. He crawled back on the man straddling his thighs again. After popping the cap of the lube open, he squirted a fair amount on his fingers, spreading it evenly. Considering this was probably Bruce's first time, it was a much better idea to use his fingers first as recommended by Laci Green. Reaching back, he slowly pressed a finger inside the man.

"I just pick it up so well," Bruce said with a smirk. He did enjoy Stark removing his shirt, only to pout in disappointment for when he wasn't allowed to see. He could hear Tony fiddling around with a cabinet while he dealt with the problem of laying on a lab table, naked, and sexually frustrated. The doctor wish Tony would hurry up with the surprise, his boner was starting to hurt from not being pampered by Stark's touch.

Stark finally returned, his weight was welcomed by the physicist. The squirting noise sounded suspicious and soon enough he could feel the man entering his body. His body's automatic reaction was to tense up, but it only made the man inside him feel warmer. The man wriggled around, loosening the tightened sphincter. Bruce arched back slightly, still blindfolded. "T-Tony!" he cried out unprepared for the billionaire's actions.

"Hmm?" he hummed in questions as if he wasn't playing with the man's ass at the moment. He moved the finger around trying to loosen the muscle. Slowly and gently he pushed the finger in and out. Once he felt the area had loosened a bit he added the next finger. With this he gripped the man's penis with his other hand stroking it slowly. He was trying to distract him from what was probably a very uncomfortable feeling. As he moved the fingers more and faster his other hand sped up too never missing a beat to make sure the man was also feeling pleasure.

"Fuck," Bruce moaned out once Stark started playing with him again. The sensation in his ass was strange; it was very tight, but only pleasurable after Tony loosened it. Then another finger joined and the process repeated itself. This time, the physicist at least had someone to pleasure his throbbing cock. A wave of pleasure went back up his spine, making him arc back again. He paid extra attention to his breathing now that Stark went for something completely new.

"Mmm...Tony, you're not planning to-," he was cut off by Stark playing with the tip of his head while he delve deeper into his anus. There was a loud groan that emitted from Bruce that he couldn't keep in due to the magical hands of Tony Stark.

"I'm sorry Bruce. I didn't quite catch that," he said like a smart ass. He left it at two fingers for a while longer than he did for one finger. He wanted the man to actually be able to enjoy it for the moment. Soon enough he added the third finger wriggling them around before beginning to thrust them in and out quickly. His erection was already leaking with pre-cum at the feeling around his fingers. The anticipation was killing him, but it was probably a better idea for the future not to hurt Bruce the first time. Otherwise he might never let him attempt something like that again.

"Oh god...you are," Bruce whimpered, keeping himself under control . There was so much pleasure already and then Stark was thinking of putting his manhood inside of him. It was crazy, he started reaching for the fabric on his face to take if off and look at the man finally, to make sure he wasn't actually going to go through with that.

Tony saw the man's movements and looked up to see the man without his blindfold on. "Bruce, you weren't supposed to look," Tony said pulling out his fingers feeling the man had been sufficiently prepared. He got off the man and went to where he had set the condoms down. Grabbing one out the box he walked back over and handed it to Bruce.

"You broke the rules, therefore you have to put the condom on me," he said with a small smile. Even though it was incredibly intimate for Bruce to do it for him, the reason Tony wasn't just doing it himself was it would be too hard with the current state of his fingers. His cock already hurt from going so long with no attention, now the anticipation itself was killing him.

"Mmm," Bruce whined at the abrupt stop to everything. His ears turned a bright red that added to the preexisting colour to his face. Looking away, he tore open the wrapping and slowly unrolled it onto Tony's own erection. He stroke it gently after the cover had been applied, slightly guilty Tony had been ignored for so long.

"Are you sure about this?" Banner asked nervously, managing to look Stark in the eye finally. The doctor was having second thoughts since his Hulk out was so current, but JARVIS hadn't notified him yet about his heart, so they were in the clear.

Tony couldn't help but smile more when the man whined, it was definitely a crowning moment for him. He'd have to tease Bruce about it later. A moan almost escaped him seeing Bruce put the condom on him, one did escape when Bruce began stroking him. "I am definitely sure about this. If you need me to stop then just let me know...Please don't need me to stop."

Tony moved so he sat between Bruce's legs. He placed his tip at the entrance after lubing up his own cock. "Take a deep breath." he said before pushing in very, very slowly. It was torturous, but he still moaned from the pleasure. Once he was all the way in he told Bruce, "tell me when to move."

He didn't want to hurt the man, but the heat that enveloped him was paradise. He felt like he was melting. He had missed this feeling and now he remembered why he had had sex every night before. If they made it through this without a Hulk out, Bruce was going to be a very sore man after Tony caught up with all the sex he had missed.

"O-oh god," Bruce gasped Tony went inside him again. This time with a pulsing warm dick and it filled the poor man's ass as he slowly slid in. The doctor's breath was haggard at the change in homeostasis, his muscles clenching around the foreign object. He waited until he could breathe properly and try to relax himself. Once he was ready, he bit his lip in anticipation of what was coming and nodded his head for Tony to start.

"P-please go slow," he stuttered, trying to grip onto the edge of the lab table for support of what was inevitable.

"I promised to ease into in didn't I?" Noticing how the man was gripping the table he said "The no touching rule is revoked, grip on to me."

Slowly he pulled out before pushing back in only slightly quicker. As he repeated this process he aimed to hit the man's prostate, knowing that would make the man begin to enjoy the experience sooner. When he did hit it, he continued at that angle setting a steady rhythm. Tony leaned over as he moved so he could kiss Banner, something he hadn't done this whole time surprisingly. He tangled their tongue together moaning into the other man's mouth with each thrust.

"Oh god!" Bruce practically screamed as Tony started thrusting into his prostate, each trust a new wave of pleasure that he could hardly control.

"Keep up that force and I'll cum...," he moaned as Stark pinned him down, exploring his mouth. Bruce finally got his grip on Tony, holding him by his neck to bring him closer and deeper inside of him. His ass was feeling amazing from the slightest movements from him now, enough so that like Stark in his mouth, he wanted him deeper in his ass. Banner wrapped his legs around Stark and helped counteract by going against Stark's thrust to give it a more forceful output.

With all the action, the poor doctor was barely able to breath. The only option was through his nose since Tony was occupying him. Banner hoped that he wouldn't have to hear his new alarm just yet, everything else felt too wonderful as he twitched and moaned in pleasure.

Tony began moving faster and harder as he came closer to climaxing. Feeling Banner's hips meet his only added to the experience, especially since it let him know that Bruce was enjoying this as much as he was. He hadn't heard the alarm go off yet, which was good, but the blood wasn't really going to the head on top.

It seemed impossible but there was even more heat than when he first pushed in. The friction and the pressure just felt heavenly. Feeling the tight coil and warmth pooling in his stomach Tony reach between them and began rapidly stroking Bruce. There was no way the first time they had sex he was going to cum first.

Banner let out a sharp gasp as he clenched onto Stark tighter, digging his nails into his back. He felt like he was going to blow any second aided by a wandering hand. His predictions turned to be true, with the held up the quick hand job and the extensive ass work, Bruce came onto Stark, yet again without warning. The sudden action didn't give him enough time to prepare, but still having Stark in the afterglow was to die for. The pleasure stayed and now it was Tony's turn to finish. Bruce pumped his hips harder and harder with each thrust to give the man the release he deserved, the intense pleasure that arose was just an added bonus.

Tony smiled as he felt the sweet pain that came from the man's nails. Feeling the man's walls clamp around him from climaxing and Bruce's added hip movements it wasn't long before Tony followed suit. He let out a loud groan as he came, it was the best climax of his life. Once finished, he pulled out and removed the soiled condom. Tossing the offensive rubber into a nearby trash, can he laid down on top of Bruce turning to the side a bit so the table was supporting most of his weight.

This was a rare occasion for Tony, usually it was Bruce on him so it was nice to be on top of the man for once. Even if he was getting him a bit dirty. After the afterglow cleared he kissed the man under him and said, "Happy Birthday, Bruce. I love you."

He decided he could wait until they were a bit more in their conscious minds to actually talk about what they had just done and tease the man a bit for his reactions.

"I love you too Tony. So much. Thank you," Bruce said as he cupped the man's cheek with one hand and pulled him closer with the other to kiss him again. He then wrapped his arms around him and enjoyed the weight on Stark on top of him, even if there was a sticky feeling in between.

The doctor gave a thankful smile and closed his eyes to rest for a bit. He was amazed how the watch hadn't gone off to kill the fun. He couldn't read it to see how high it had gotten since his glasses were in his pants on the floor where he had no desire to get at the moment. _Maybe I can ask JARVIS my peak later, _Bruce thought as he stroked the billionaire's hair. Soon enough, his breathing was back to normal along with his heart.

"I knew there was a reason I liked physics so much," Bruce said jokingly after a nice rest. The only problem now was the after effects of his anal penetration. His ass was sore, and lying on the lab table wasn't helping. "Can we go get cleaned up now?" he asked meekly.

Tony closed his eyes and snuggled into the man's chest when he felt the arms come around him. He almost fell asleep when the man began to stroke his hair. It was the perfect warmth to go with their afterglow. He was a little disappointed that it was ended by the man's suggestion.

"Are you inviting me into the shower with you?" he asked his eyes still closed. His lips moved against the man's chest as he spoke. It was obvious even in his afterglow Stark was still snarky as hell and willing to make jokes.

"Only if you read to me every one of those shampoo and conditioner bottles. I'll actually know what I smell like for once," Bruce said jokingly. Even if he wanted to clean up, he wasn't willing to part with Tony after all that. He was enjoying himself. Plus, he didn't want to fall in shower. Banner knew enough about the subject area that the after effects of his hangover and sore bum were going to make it troublesome to stand up.

Tony's eyes snapped open, he was shocked Bruce actually said yes. He smiled, kissing the man gently. "Deal. Can you handle walking?"  
Tony knew that with anal sex came some pain afterwards, especially after the first time. Probably didn't help that Bruce's first time was with Tony's monster cock. He felt a bit bad about the discomfort Bruce was going to be feeling, but he still had to smile. "By the way, you can no longer say that you slept with Tony Stark and didn't give it up."  
Tony then realized he had just put himself in a slightly difficult position. He was now going to be conditioned to get an instant boner every time he saw this table. Until today he hadn't expected their first time to be in the lab on a table, but he was glad it was. They were men of science and the lab seemed like the most logical place for them to enjoy each other.

"I have no idea, I do know that this lab table is incredibly hard and it isn't doing me any favours," Bruce said with a groan, hoping Tony would get off him soon enough. Once the man did roll over, concerned about the smaller one underneath him, Banner let out a sigh of relief. As much as he loved Stark's weight on him, there was just too much pressure on him currently and it was becoming quite painful.  
"God dammit. I can't take it back now, can I?" Bruce asked referring to his sexual ethics that for a month he could tease Tony with and also mentioning the soreness in his ass. It was a tease, but Banner got a good laugh out of the fact that the playboy did finally get what he wanted.

Stark gave him a hand to help Bruce sit up, which quickly resulted in a shot of pain up the man's spine. The sudden burst caused Banner to leap forward to take the pressure off the area, resulting in Tony quickly catching the falling man in his arms. "Thank you," he mumbled into Stark's chest, immotile. His body protesting in any sort of movement, he was sore from the table and the fun events that happened in his bum. Currently, he didn't feel like he would walk without the other man's help.

"Nope, you will never be able to take back the fact that we had best sex ever. And you'll never be able to take back that whine you gave when I removed my fingers," he teased. He wasn't surprised the other man wasn't able to move without pain. Tony had been told of the after pain, which was something he never wanted to feel. Putting one of Bruce's arms around the back of his neck, Tony crouched and wrapped one arm around the back of Bruce's knees and the other around the middle of his back. Standing he carried Bruce bridal style to their private elevator.

"Maybe we should go with a nice bath instead? Because I really don't think you can handle standing alone, let alone standing long enough to shower. We can put a couple towels down on so you can sit a bit more comfortably," He was grateful for their private elevator. He had no idea how he would have managed to help Bruce dress without hurting him. In all honesty he felt bad that the man was hurting, but if he was offered the chance to do it again, he'd definitely take it.

"Alright," Bruce grunted as he was picked up, the pain shot up as his body was positioned oddly. "I'd really like a shower first though. I'll manage somehow, but I would really appreciate getting cleaned off before a bath. Oh, and I would like to be able to lean on you in the tub." The man requested, unable to command Stark even in pain. He rested his head on the man's chest, trying to ignore the pain that was becoming more and more aware in the lower half of his body.

Soon enough, they were back in Tony's room and Bruce was carried to the bathroom. Stark gently set the man down and helped him up. Banner leaned on the man, generously appreciating the support. Trying to walk was an awkward task, the doctor couldn't position his legs like normal and it turned into a noticable side step when he wanted to go forward and would let out a small grunt with each step. Eventually, they managed to both get into the giant shower.

"I'm sorry for all the trouble," he huffed as Stark turned on the water. Bruce was still leaning on him and he was feeling like he was being a real bother.

"Sounds like a plan," he said always happy to support the man. Tony couldn't help but smile a bit watching the man's awkward attempts to walk. He managed to keep from chuckling out loud, considering it would probably embarrass the man if he had. It helped him not to laugh when he heard the man's grunts of pain, it wasn't really the type of thing Tony enjoyed. So with the combination of the sight and sound he had very mixed emotions about the situation.

"No need to be sorry. It's really my fault that you're in this position, isn't it?" He asked as the warm water began to cover their bodies. He grabbed a couple wash clothes from the side. He lathered them both up with soap.

"Can you handle washing yourself or do you need help? And don't answer based on thinking you're going to bother me, because I honestly don't mind another excuse to rub my hands over your body," he said with a small smile.

"I can handle my upper body. Help on the lower would be nice," Bruce sighed. Of course he knew Stark would take full advantage of that, but he didn't have the man's endurance in that area and wasn't going to be able to fulfill Tony's wants if he chose to go there.

Bruce took care of his share easily, glad to get rid of the sweat and other substances on him, the entire time still holding onto Stark. He rinsed off and enjoyed the feel of the water running down his back.

"I can definitely handle your lower body," he said happily. While Bruce washed his upper body, Tony managed to completely wash himself. After Bruce was done with his upper body, Tony took the cloth from him and began washing his legs and moved up. He paid extra attention to the man's privates, as to be expected from Tony Stark, but he was very gentle when it came to the backside. Surprisingly he didn't try to do anything, it was obvious Bruce was not up to any sort of physical teasing at the moment.  
He let the man rinse off before turning off the water. He let the man sit on a pile of towels so he could get the bath set up. Moving to the bathtub he turned on the water to let it begin to fill. He put in bubbles trying to make it a bit more relaxing and fun. "Vanilla Honey bubble bath, so that you know the smell. The tub will be filled soon."

* * *

"Thank you. You still didn't read off all those bottles in the shower," Bruce said smugly. He didn't expect him to, but giving Tony some hell for all the pain he had currently wasn't bothering him. The towels did feel better to sit on than to stand awkwardly, he waited patiently for a bath that would help him relax.  
Soon the tub was filled with water and bubbles. Stark helped up the doctor and took a couple of towels so he wouldn't have to sit on the porcelain tub. Tony went in first and got everything situated. Once again, he helped out Bruce and the smaller man sat on some towels in between Stark's legs, the hot water of the tub feeling very relaxing and enjoyable. Bruce leaned back and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the soreness that was irritated by the action.

"Sorry, guess I'll just have to try again tomorrow," he said using Bruce's words against him. After helping him into the tub and getting situated himself Tony relaxed. Feeling the man's warm back against his chest only contributed to the relaxation. He gently wrapped his arms around the man's waist. He kissed the back of the man's neck lightly.  
"I know you probably regret it now, but I had fun," Stark said with a light blush. If Bruce was going to go through pain the least Tony could do was let him know it wasn't for nothing and he was grateful. "And given the chance I'd do it again, because hearing those moans was just too damn sexy."

"Thanks," Bruce said with a blush. He grabbed Tony's hands with his own and gave a small smile. Despite all the pain, he really did like it. "I...enjoyed myself."  
The hot water all around him really did take away a lot of the pain. Being able to sit back in Stark's arms was also another delight he was getting to enjoy. For a day with such a poor start, it managed to turn out well. Bruce managed to turn his head to kiss Stark's cheek. "Thank you for today. It was a memorable birthday," he said with a smile and a glossy look in his eyes.

"You are quite welcome. Speaking of memorable," he said with a smile. "JARVIS, mark today on the calendar as Bruce's birthday, please. Give me a reminder every day starting a week before it."  
"Yes, sir," came the robotic voice. It had made him blush a bit when Bruce admitted to enjoying himself, not that Tony wasn't confident in his sex skills. It was just that Bruce didn't seem like the type to admit to enjoying sex, other than his moans during the activity that is. Tony laced together their fingers.  
"I just want you to remember tonight on my birthday," he hinted heavily. Pepper always threw him a birthday party back before he left her for Bruce, but now a night of nonstop sex with Banner seemed like a much better time than a party with fifty people.

"I'll be sure to regret it then too," Bruce teased. _You'll be walking funny for a week, Banner, _he thought about Stark getting to have his own birthday fun. _Hell, you'll probably be walking like that this week already. _He laid back his head to rest again, holding onto Tony loosely. The bath was a great idea and his body was appreciating it immensely and hoping that it would relieve the tension so he could show his face around the Tower if at all possible.  
"Do you think we should grace everyone with our presence today? After yesterday...I think it might be a good idea," Bruce suggested awkwardly. He was sure he caused a good enough scare for everyone in the Tower for Hulking out randomly. Showing that he was fine, fine in the sense that he was in his right mind and not completely sore, would be a good idea.

"I'm sure you'll love it even more than you did tonight," he said nibbling on the man's ear gently. It was amusing that the man had the gull to tease him considering the position he was in. It then hit him what the man's response meant: they would definitely be doing this again. He hoped they'd be doing it again before his birthday.  
"We probably should let them know we're alive. The last message they got was that you were you again," he said with a small chuckle. He really didn't want to get dressed, but it was a good idea to see everyone. Besides it meant he got to undress Banner for the second time in a row today, therefore it was an acceptable suggestion.

Bruce nodded as he took his time standing up and getting out of the tub. The cool air was a nice contrast to the hot water they were sitting in. He took a towel and quickly dried off his upper body, even with some of the soreness gone, Banner didn't want to chance ruining it all by bending over.  
"Could you help me again?" he asked embarrassed. The nice soak in the tub regained some of his modesty as he covered his manhood when he turned around to look at Stark, grateful there were still bubbles in the tub.

Tony smiled watching the man as he dried off his top half. Hearing the man's request, Tony stood. Unlike Banner he was not modest at all. He let it all hang as he moved to the man and took the towel from him "My pleasure."  
He followed the same pattern in drying the man as he did washing him, just this time he was on his knees. He purposefully dried the man's bum by reaching around so his face was near Bruce's crotch, he smiled up at the man with his 'I know I'm being a pain in the ass' smile. It seemed the man was feeling better, which meant Stark didn't mind doing a little teasing.  
When Bruce was dry Tony grabbed a towel and dried off really quick before going into his room and grabbing a pair of boxers. "Bruce remind me to have Dummy move your clothes in here. It's got to be annoying to have to go down the hall to change."

Bruce actively avoided looking down at Stark while he dried him off. He knew what he was doing, but watching him do it would make him more flustered than he already was. Once Tony was done, Bruce thankfully put the towel around himself and followed him to his closet with his odd walk. There was still pain in the movement, but that was to be expected. For the time being he would just have to sleep it off if he wanted the soreness to go away.  
"You afraid I'll wear out your wardrobe?" Bruce said with a smile at Tony's observation. It would be nice to have his own clothes ready in the room, but he didn't mind the baggy clothing he could borrow from Stark. Secretly, he enjoyed it, not that he would tell Tony that.

"I never worry about my wardrobe wearing out. Frankly, I love seeing you in my clothes, just less of them. May I suggest my tee-shirt, or maybe my tie?" he asked teasing the man. Tossing the man a pair of boxers he went to his closet to get out two pairs of jeans and a couple tee shirts. He handed the man the clothes before putting his own on.  
"Do you need help with your boxers and jeans?" he asked with a smile. It was a rare thing for him to dress the man, it'd be a bit of an odd experience.

"I would prefer pants over both of those," Bruce said with a small pout as he caught the flying boxers. Tony volunteering was very appreciated since the task to get both articles of clothing on seemed impossible at the moment. He sighed with a blush as he handed the boxers back to Tony, keeping his eyes on the walls lined with suits in the enormous closet.

"Please," he asked nicely, still embarrassed he couldn't handle simple tasks for the time being.

Tony smiled walking over to help the man put on the clothing. He held Bruce's hand as he stepped into the holes for the the legs. Tony noticed that Bruce was doing his best not to look at him. _Oh? He's going this far to keep from looking at me near his crotch? I wonder what would happen if I.._. He stopped pulling up the man's boxers just before he covered the man's cock. He gave a gentle kiss to the tip and sucked on it lightly before abruptly stopping and pulling the fabric up the rest of the way.

He grabbed the man's jeans and helped him into them and pulled them up for him. "Put on your shirt and we'll go."

Bruce placed a hand of Stark's shoulder to support himself up as the man helped him into the boxers. He was expecting Stark to try something which he followed through without a doubt. He wasn't expecting such a drawn out action of the man trying to get him up again. Banner had let out a moan to the sudden surprise, but the surprise itself gave way to his muscles tensing all at once including his arse. The moan quickly became a groan that Banner bit his lip to suppress. Once Stark stopped, he gave a pained look with a smile.

"You can be horrible, you know that?" the doctor grunted. Stark soon put on his pants and ended the torture. He followed suit on the command and soon enough he was fully dressed.

Tony couldn't help but smile at the man's moans and almost laugh when the man groaned. He really hadn't expected the man's to be so responsive with just that, but then again Bruce was probably still sensitive from earlier. It probably didn't help that Tony had surprised him instead of giving him a large amount of foreplay like he was used to.

"Would you prefer me to continue?" he asked raising an eyebrow. If Bruce could handle a blow job before going to see the others Tony was more than happy to oblige. Never once in his life would he have thought that he'd get such enjoyment from sucking a man's dick, but with the reactions Bruce gave it was hard not to like it. There was no bigger ego booster than hearing 'Oh God! Fuck! Finish me off, please!' that was just damn sexy.

"No," Bruce said flatly, wide eyed in fear that Tony would go back and continue anyways. He didn't have Tony's stamina. He'd have to cool down first before there was any chance of them going at it again.

"L-Let's go check on everyone. They're probably having dinner by now," he said nervously, playing with his hands. Getting hot and bothered was not on his list of things to do, especially since he was obviously walking oddly. They were bound to notice, but since they already knew about Tony and him there was nothing much more to care about as long as they didn't bring it up.

Tony gave a shrug. Taking the man's hand he led him down the hall to the usual elevator, he didn't want to give away the whereabouts of their private elevator. He leaned over and pressed the button for the dining room. "Hey Bruce, Happy Birthday." he said one more time before the elevator went up.


	12. Chapter 12 Avengers Assemble!

**Hello again! Here's the new chapter. We're up to 34 chapters now so we might do more frequent posts if I stop making my Loki cosplay to edit xD Love yo faces! You're all wonderful 3**

**MARVEL AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT OWN BY US. OMG SHOCKER.**

Chapter 12 - Avengers Assemble!  
The elevator doors swooped open, revealing the hall to the dining room. Stark took the lead as usually, Banner following behind. Bruce was walking slower than normal, mainly due to the pain and the fact he was trying to make it look like he wasn't awkwardly waddling to and fro. The soreness in his bum was becoming more evident the longer it took.  
The two entered together, Banner hiding behind Stark. Bruce peeked over Tony's shoulder to see everyone there eating, which was a miracle that Dummy made something edible. Stark moved to one side of the table where Hawkeye was seated at with Widow, probably avoiding having to be next to the Captain. Bruce stayed behind, awkwardly scratching his head. He felt like he owed it to everyone that he was himself at the moment.  
"I'm sorry for last night," he said playing with his hands. Bruce gave a weak smile and looked out the window. "Thank you for your help."  
"NAY, IT IS NO TROUBLE AT ALL! THIS MORN WAS THE FIRST I HAD AWOKEN WITH ANY SORT OF PHYSICAL SHOWINGS OF MY DRINKING ESCAPADES. THE MATCH WAS TRULY SOMETHING TO REMEMBER!" Thor boomed, apparently fully recovered from the headache he had woken up to.  
Clint shook his head at the Asgardian. Even in the morning he was yelling about how his head hurt and how he should call Jane Foster to fix it for him. The god just couldn't get it even after his attempts to make him shut up. "As long as you had fun, Doc," he said while eating the first meal that was edible in days.

Tony couldn't help but smile at the group eating the incompetent robot's food. "I also have to thank you guys, especially you Thor for catching on to the plan so quickly. And Cap you took that tequila like a champ...mostly. Widow, Clint thanks for getting Fury." His thanks were a bit half assed but they were thanks nonetheless.  
"It's no problem. It's our job as teammates to look out for each other," Cap said obviously in soldier mode. The man never looked up at them though. It was obvious he was still uncomfortable, but it wasn't just that. Hearing Banner and Stark talk all he could think about were those moans from earlier. He couldn't believe the sounds that had been coming from his bedroom floor.  
Natasha smiled. "You're quite welcome. You probably would have killed the guy had Fury not stopped you." She was impressed by Rogers' ability to behave so well around the two men, though it didn't go unnoticed the he wasn't looking at them.

Bruce gave a small smile and slowly started to walk around the archer to get to Tony. It really was becoming difficult to walk and it still felt off. He just got close to being behind Hawkeye's chair when WACK! A burst of pain shot through Bruce's body, causing him to leap in the air and stagger into a wall on the way down.  
Hawkeye was busting a gut. He noticed how odd the doctor was walking with his sharp eyes and the noises that were heard earlier in his nest aided his assumptions. To test it out, he gave a good smack to the doctor's ass and Banner's reaction verified his theory. Stark had taken the poor man home and he still braved everyone a day after a Hulk out and a good anal fucking that happened a couple hours ago. Seeing the doctor's reaction was priceless, and nearly had him rolling on the floor.  
"Oh god! Shell Head, I told you to be nice to the poor man, not to be a pain in his ass," Barton managed to get out in between laughing fits.

Thor gave a confused look at the man, but continued eating. He wasn't going to try to understand the odd Midgardian talk that didn't say the actual meaning, only implied it. Still something he was working on improving.

Bruce was gripping at the wall. His eyes wide open from the pain he was biting back. He stayed there for a good minute before attempting to move and even then, he didn't bother to sit down at that point. There was no way the metal chairs would be at all comfortable, especially after Clint's addition to his soreness.

Rogers was shocked when Hawkeye slapped Bruce's ass.. Was Hawkeye bi too? Oh God he couldn't handle another one. The man's reaction was just confusing. Hawkeye didn't seem to slap him that hard. "Calm down Dr. Banner, you're overreacting a bit don't you think?"  
"Clint! Why the hell would you do that?!" It wasn't that she didn't hear the men earlier, she knew they were doing _something_ but it was obvious that one does not simply slap someone's ass after what was a possible ass fucking. And knowing Tony it probably wasn't the softest one there ever was either.  
Tony burst out laughing. He really couldn't help it after seeing the man jump two feet into the air, though he was a bit peeved that Clint touched his man's ass. It was a forgivable offense considering the way Banner was hugging the wall now. "I thought I was being nice _by _being a pain in his ass."  
Tony emphasized that he wasn't just a pain in the ass, he was a pain in Banner's ass. He sat down still laughing a bit. He made sure he had Banner's attention before patting his lap gently. He figured his legs would be a softer and therefore better seat than the metal seat.

"Ha ha," Bruce said begrudgingly. He had to admit that was pretty hilarious, he probably gave those two endless amount of entertainment that JARVIS could play back whenever. The doctor leaned over on the metal chair, trying to make sure the pain was at least off his face. As a small grudge, Bruce ignored Tony's offer to sit on him. It didn't help that everyone else was there and he'd be too self-conscious if he did, so it was a win-win.

"I think I'll stand," he said with a forced smile, his voice a tad shallow. "And I don't think I'm overreacting, Captain."

Hawkeye slipped Tony a high five under the table for a job well done. The doctor needed to loosen up, and this will probably help do the trick if he doesn't freak out and throw Stark through a wall. "What?! That was gold! Come on!" he complained to Widow for trying to put a damper on his fun.

Thor looked at the Captain, feeling just as confused as him. He gave the man a shrug and continued downing whatever Dummy had cooked for everyone.

"You don't slap someone's ass right after anal sex!" she scolded. Romanoff blushed realizing she was the first to say bluntly what had gone down. She punched Clint in frustration for having making her say that. "Sorry, Bruce. Didn't think that one over."

"THE HELL? ANAL SEX? IS THAT WHAT I WAS HEARING?! YOU TWO HAVING SEX?!" This was _way_ past his comfort zone. He figured the men just made out with each other and did some touching, but anal sex? He felt light headed. This-This was just wrong on so many levels. Steve felt dirty.

"Well, I don't know if you were hearing us, but yeah that's what we were doing," Tony said matter-of-factly. He had promised Bruce he would try to be nice so he didn't flip out on the man for throwing a hissy fit about their sex. Nor did he go into details of it for both Banner's and Steve's sake. "Sorry, Cap I'll make sure to soundproof the lab."

"OH! SO THAT IS WHAT YOU WERE DOING! I THOUGHT YOU WERE FIGHTING A BILSCHNIPE AND I WAS GOING TO GO TO YOUR AID UNTIL THE WIDOW OF BLACK STOPPED ME," Thor pipped up with a smile, finally understand what was going on.

"Way to blame me Natasha when you just go and blurt things out. Some super-secret assassin you turned out to be," Clint said sarcastically, trying to push the blame off of him.

Each additional comment from all the Avengers just brought more pain to the man, this time in his stomach. His personal life out proudly for display yet again causing his heart to race, only JARVIS was kind enough to remain quiet until extremely necessary. He shook his head and turned around to leave, mustering everything he could to try and walk unencumbered. There was no need for a Hulk out over something like this.

"I am a damn better assassin then you will ever be!" Natasha then punched Clint hard. She was good at what she did and took pride in her work. How dare he even imply she was anything less than an amazing spy.

The Captain was going to tell Tony that hearing them wasn't the issue, but it was obvious Tony was trying to be nice. At the risk of catching a punch like Clint he just stuffed his mouth full of the surprisingly edible food Dummy had made.

"Next time, you should definitely come _aid _us Thor," Tony joked laughing extremely hard. His laughter stopped when he saw Bruce leaving. Tony gave everyone an awkward smile before leaving to follow the man. Once they were both in the elevator, Tony turned to the man. "Bruce I'm sorry for laughing, it's just...it's not often to see you that expressive. Your reaction was hilarious, but it hurt you and I'm sorry for that."

Tony really didn't think Bruce was going to be such a poor sport about this, "Clint and I were just joking around. So please don't be mad."

"I-It's okay...It's just...," Bruce held up the arm with his new watch for Tony to see. He might not have been able to read it, but he knew for sure that it was getting high enough for concern. Staying in that room was only going to be more stressful. He let out a sigh and said, "I'd prefer not to test this out just yet. Plus, I kinda lost my appeti-."

An alarm sounded cutting of the physicist. It sounded for a few seconds and then JARVIS came online. "Sir, there is a threat that has appeared on the radar. A group called the Serpent Society is on the loose in the subway system causing havoc," the AI system announced.

"JARVIS, speaker mode," Tony called allowing only five seconds before talking to the ceiling for his voice to ring throughout the tower. "There's an attack on the subway system, by some group called the Serpent Society. Avengers assemble!"

As soon as the elevator doors open, Tony ran behind the bar on the floor to grab his bracelets. "JARVIS deploy the suit!" Instantly the suit came flying at him and attached itself. He walked over to Bruce and cupped the man's face.

"I don't know if we're going to need the Hulk tonight, but just in case..." He then kissed the man roughly, giving him a smile after. "I'm sure the Hulk will wake up pissed at that," he laughed before pressed the button to go to the meeting room.

Captain was first to run to the elevator. He got off on the floor his room was on and made a mad dash for his uniform. After suiting up he grabbed the shield. He stopped for a moment at the display case of Phil's cards. "Don't worry Phil, the heroes are on this job." He then ran to the elevator to go to the meeting room.

Black Widow followed the Captain into the elevator along with the rest of the team. She changed quickly and loaded all of her holsters with guns. She was going into this pretty much blind; there was no way she was leaving a gun here if she could help it. After she was ready she went to Clint's room to rush him. "Hey Clint let's make a deal, if you kill more whatever these are, you get some tonight. If I kill more you spar with me tomorrow, in a dress." It was obvious she was still bitter about Clint's comment about her being a bad assassin.

"You're on!" Clint smirked while he strapped his bracer on. There was no way he was gonna lose this challenge. He grabbed his quiver and mounted it on his back and ran out with his folded bow.

"AT LAST! ANOTHER CHANCE TO PROTECT MIDGARD," Thor said excited. He was already in his usual Asgardian garb, it was something he was more comfortable with than the weak clothing on Earth. Rushing to his room, he summoned Mjolnir by reaching out into the dark and it quickly came to rest in his hand. He turned back to the elevator to find everyone else from on, minus Stark and Banner.

"Don't worry, he already is," Bruce said after enjoying Stark's taste. He licked his lips and looked at the watch. If he was going to need to Hulk out, there should be some sort of way to make sure he wouldn't get drugged and then become unable to do anything. "Um JARVIS, please turn off the beta blockers in the watch for the time being."

"Yes, sir. The represent will be automatically reconfigured to the normal setting after the Hulk out," JARVIS responded from his wrist. It was odd enough to hear him from the ceiling occasionally, now he was on his person, but there was no time to dwell on it.

Soon the elevator opened to the meeting room and the two scientists walked out, one walked the other hobbled, to the table to see the problem in depth. In a few minutes the elevator opened again and the rest of the team rushed out to see the issue. Once everyone was situated at their spot, except for Bruce who stood over his seat yet again, Stark began the debriefing.

"Alright, S.H.I.E.L.D. just sent us an alert that somehow these guys managed to break out of the Vault. JARVIS did some scouting on their computer systems so we have some more information on these guys. They call themselves the Serpent Society, they're a team of serpent-like super villains that S.H.I.E.L.D. took out a few months back. They're only four of them: Anaconda, Death Adder, Rattler, and King Cobra. So this will be a walk in the park for us," Tony said confidently with his signature smirk. "They're down on 42nd street causing trouble in the subway. It's our job to get them out without getting civilians harmed. Once we get them under wraps S.H.I.E.L.D. will take them back to their prison cell that I'm sure they miss. Any questions?"

"I think that covers it. I'm in," Bruce said with a nod. If there was any way to show that he wasn't a monster, he would prove it. All he had to do was get the Hulk to listen to him and work for the Avengers. _We can do good...We don't have to be feared, _he thought to himself. The month of being with Tony helped him see this more, especially after the invasion where the other guy did save the world.

"We're taking one of your cars Tony," Natasha said grabbing Clint and almost dragging him to the elevator. She held it for the Captain who followed them. Hopping into one of Tony's many sports cars she tossed the keys in the ignition and started it up. As soon as Clint and the Captain were in the car she pressed the pedal hard and sped out the garage toward 42nd.

Rogers had followed Clint and Natasha into the sports car instead of taking his motorcycle and boy he was regretting it. He now knew why women weren't allowed to drive for so long. This driving was crazy. She weaved around cars just barely missing them and her speed was just insane. Steve just barely managed to keep himself from having a heart attack. "From now on, I drive."

Tony watched as everyone but him, Thor, and Bruce left for the garage. "Well hopefully Natasha doesn't trash my car." he sighed. Taking Bruce's hand he led him outside. He let the mask flip down as he picked up Bruce with one arm. "Hold on big guy." With that he took off flying quickly using his one free hand as his stabilizing aid. They managed to beat the land dwellers there for the simple fact that they lacked traffic.

Thor followed after Iron Man with a mighty swing of Mjolnir and took off into the sky. It was amusing, to say the least, at watching Banner cling onto the metal Avenger for dear life. He wouldn't help give a hearty laugh as they flow on their way to the destination. Soon they touched down at the entrance of the subway where dim screams could be heard echoing.

"ART THOU READY FOR BATTLE?" Thor asked seeing the disoriented Banner.

"I'll get to that soon," said the doctor. Bruce had a hard time standing as it was, trying to wrap himself around an uncomfortable metal suit and being tossed around didn't do him much good. He untwisted himself from Stark and got off, thankful to be on the ground once again and then nearly taken out by Natasha skidding to a stop. Hell, he was surprised after all that shit he was still himself.

Hawkeye, Widow, and Cap came out of the car, the two men grateful to get out of there alive. "Cap you should see her driving when she's in a hurry," he joked giving him a pat on the back. "Oh and ride shotgun. Makes everything more interesting."

Cap felt like he was going to be sick. He could handle ten bottles of alcohol and feel nothing, but get in the car with Black Widow driving and all bets were off. Rogers turned to Clint "I think I'd enjoy the less interesting ride a bit better."

Natasha scowled at the men. "I got us here at almost the same time as the people who didn't have traffic, give me some credit." With that she began walking into the subway.

Tony couldn't help but laugh, his car was in perfect condition still, but she broke two of the Avengers. It was too funny. Seeing Natasha go into the subway he quickly stopped. It was apparently go time. "Alright big guy it's time to suit up."

"Sorry about your clothes, but at least I won't be so sore when I come back," Bruce said with a weak smile as he rushed to the stairway, the pain and exertion helping him turn. Stark's shirt stretched to its max and ripped off the man's newly formed muscles. Somehow the jeans kept to him, but were severely torn. The Hulk let out a roar as he fully transformed out of view from anyone but the Avengers, healing all of Banner's past doings with the reformation of his body.

The Hulk quickly spun around to find what he was looking for. He targeted Iron Man, remembering his last encounter and over hearing the taunting from earlier he charged at the iron Avenger accompanied by a loud roar.

"No need to be sorry Bruce, I'll consider it payback for the butt hurt," he joked. He watched as the man began to grow and turn green. His smile didn't disappear until he charged at him.

"Oh fuck..." Tony flew higher into the air ready to fly even higher in a split second. He raised the mask so he could speak to the Hulk better. "Hey big guy, sorry bout last time...and the teasing, but I'm not your enemy. There's some dudes fucking stuff up in there and last time I checked, that was your job. So want to help us keep it your job? You get to beat people up."

Hulk growled again and prepared himself to leap up to the man. He was about to jump when he caught his reflection in the mirrored window. It was Bruce Banner looking at him.

"Hulk, please. We can do something for these people. We don't have to keep running and hiding. But that's only if you cooperate," Bruce pleaded. He was lucky enough to keep conscious while as the Hulk and it was another task to make him listen. "We don't have to be a monster. The Avengers will assure that. Now, will you please help? You will get to smash some stuff, it's a nice deal."

"Hulk better get to be out more!" he growled at the glass. Anyone around him thinking the creature was just talking to himself, which he technically was.

"Of course," Bruce said fully aware on what he was selling himself into.

Hulk gave a smirk and laughed. He looked back up to the hovering Iron Man, still wanting to punch him through a wall or two. "Deal," he yelled before running back down the stairway to get his fill in.

Tony watched as the beast talked to himself. It was creepy, but the Hulk acting creepy was better than the Hulk acting murderous. When he finally looked at the iron Avenger Tony held his breath. He let it go only when the green man agreed. Tony flipped the mask down and followed him down the stairs. "After this I really need to talk to you, if you agree to do it without breaking me, or my suit, I'll buy you as much food as you want."

Tony needed to get some things straight with the Hulk. Tony could not fear for his life and avoid the Hulk every time they had to fight together. They needed to get along or one day Tony would be dead, and then Bruce would be depressed for killing his boyfriend, or extremely happy depending on how hard he had fucked the man that day.

The Hulk merely let out a grunt to acknowledge the metal man flying by him. The other Avengers followed suit and soon enough they were all face to face with the Serpent Society. They were looting everything and anything they could get their hands on from the civilians, who were now cowering for their lives at the reptilian menaces.

"Surrender now and then we won't kick your asses and send you to jail, we'll just send you to jail," he said as cocky as ever. These things were going down. There was no way Stark was going to let them leave without getting at least one punch in, but he'd keep his promise and not completely kick their asses.

Widow was ready to grab her guns watching these things. It was just awful to see these cowering people. Proper killing was done in secret where there wasn't an audience and no one but the target would be cowering in the corner.

Captain America was watching these things. To do this to women and children was inhuman. War should always be between soldiers never, it shouldn't involve civilians. Yet it always did somehow. It was painful to see.

Clint stood by Widow's side, his bow fully drawn with four arrows ready to go through each one of those freaks' heads. There was a smart ass smile on his face cause he knew he could do it blindfolded.

Thor readied Mjolnir, swinger her around by the strap at the end, lightning staticing around it. There was a reason he was on Midgard, and it was to protect the innocent morals that needed his help.

Hulk stood and waited, knowing his chance to smash something to come soon. Even if Stark said they wouldn't toss them around, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't.

"Avengersss!" hissed the leader King Cobra, switching his legs for an extended purple snake tail. There was a scowl of detest that they were caught. They were definitely outnumbered, and Cobra didn't want to go back to his cell just yet. "So niccce of you to drop by. But we were just leaving."

King Cobra and the others dashed onto the track of the subway, taking whatever loot they had. Hulk cracked his knuckles and leapt onto the nearest one, Rattler, stomping him into the ground. The snake protested by giving him a sharp sting in the leg with his shocking stinger, causing the Hulk to freeze, face first on the ground long enough for him to try to shake off the beating he took from being crushed by a Hulk.

Thor went to his aid by hitting Rattler with his own lightning, causing the snake to be temporarily immobilized. The god took full advantage and took a swing at him with the Hulk, throwing him into the subway wall.

Hawkeye took the small Death Adder and hit him with a couple of electro-arrows from behind, rendering the serpent helpless. "My count is at one Tasha! So far I'm winning," he said smugly.

"Tony give me a quick to the king, will ya?" Widow asked ignoring Hawkeye. As soon as she heard Tony's suit fire up she prepared herself for the impact of the metal. He flew fast and tossed her at King Cobra. She locked her legs landing with both her feet on his face. She rolled off it. It didn't even seem to faze him that she had just gave his face a hard ass kick. He was even laughing at her. She pulled out her stun guns and shot the ugly reptile in the face giving him a large amount of electric shocks. She didn't stop until he was on the ground foaming at the mouth. As soon she let go she felt a something tightly coil around her. "AH GOD! WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Whatsssss wrong? Can't handle a little pressssure?" Anaconda hissed as she tightened her arm around Black Widow.

As Tony moved to blast the snake woman Anaconda held Widow in front of her. _Fuck,_ he thought realizing he couldn't get close enough to her to shoot properly without getting caught himself. It was then that a shining shield flew through the air hitting Anaconda in the head hard.

"Tony I'll get Widow you get Anaconda," he said dodging the snake woman's other arm. He ran to Black Widow trying to get the arm around her open. As soon as it began to loosen, the other arm wrapped around him.

Tony took his chance to blast the evil snake with while she was too distracted with the Captain. As soon as he got the hit in she released them. Tony had to be careful; this wasn't like the aliens S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want them dead, just unable to get away.

Once released Widow ran and grabbed her stun guns. She shot the serpent bitch keeping the trigger pressed down a little longer than necessary. It was rare she found a woman more flexible than her, but when she did she didn't like it. "Hawkeye, that's two. I'll give you your attire later tonight."

"Dammit!" Hawkeye whined. _Maybe if I beg enough, I'll get both, _he thought to himself as he went over to help up Natasha.

Thor went over to grab Dead Adder and the Hulk took Rattler and King Cobra to put in a pile where everyone was gathering. Thor was doing it to make cleanup for S.H.I.E.L.D. while the Hulk wanted another excuse to toss around the annoying snakes.

"GOOD WORK EVERYONE! WE WERE VICTORIOUS!" Thor shouted in excitement. Just then a flood of armed S.H.I.E.L.D. agents swarmed the subway, surrounding the unconscious Serpent Squad. Leading the troupe was Agent Hill.

"Good work Avengers. These guys have been a pain since they left. Bout time we got them cornered," she said sounding annoyed that her team hadn't gotten to them first.

"Thanks Clint," Natasha said accepting the help up. She was a bit sore from being squeezed, but it felt good to have gotten a good fight in. She couldn't help but smile at the demigod's over excited yelling.

Captain America was the one to acknowledge Agent Hill. "Thank you, we're glad we could help. Just make sure they stay in prison this time, I don't know if we'll be able to keep Hulk from killing them again," he joked.

Tony raised his mask and walked over to the Hulk. "Guys, we'll meet you at the Tower the big guy and I have a date." he said with a small laugh. "Well now that we're done here, shall we?"

The Hulk gave a laugh to the Captain. He was more than willing to oblige the alternative to the snake freaks. The fun cut short when Stark started talking about a date. He growled and readied to smack the man through this subway to the next. The only reason keeping him from doing so was the promise of food, and he wasn't going to bite the hand that feeds him just yet.

Instead, he just grabbed the metal Avenger by the waist and took him back to the surface. From there he left up to one of the taller buildings in the area and tossed the man down, feeling that was enough for his comment. He took a seat on one of the random power control boxes on the building and watched Stark get up.

"What do you want?" he grunted, smirking from his own fun.

Tony grunted a bit when he was dropped. "Okay, I deserved that." Sitting up, he looked at beast in the eyes. It was amazing, but he still managed to see his Banner in there. "You said you wanted to be let out more...were you talking to Banner? Did he agree?"

They were stupid questions. It seemed almost obvious, but Tony had to confirm what was going on before he could truly talk to the beast about what was going to happen.

"Instantly," the Hulk grinned, confirming all in one. Not only did he get to enjoy being out and not stuck in Banner for forever-in-a-day, but he could get to torment the man staring right at him for it.

"Problem?" he smirked.

"Not at all," Tony said giving a small smile. "I'm sure you know all about Bruce and I's relationship. I want to make sure he keeps his promise. Since Bruce has to regulate himself all the time during activities, he doesn't get to enjoy himself as much and a lot of times it results in me blue balling, don't know if you know what that is. My proposition I keep Bruce from regulating himself so you can come out, and you don't kill or hurt me for being in the middle of trying to fuck him. I'll even make sure he lets you out when we don't have those activities. Deal?"

"Deal," the Hulk grumbled, his smirk turning to a scowl at the thought. There was no way in hell he was going to want to participate in that. But little to Tony's knowledge, Bruce already promised him whatever time he wanted. All in all, he was going to have his way.

"Great, I'll buy you food every time too. It's the least I can do for you being nice about all this. I'm sure it's not at the top of your list to see us having intercourse," Tony then blushed when he had a sudden realization. "Um...exactly how much can you see?"

"Too much," he said frustrated. The Hulk was gripping at the edges of the power box and it was instantly crushed under the superior force. He let out a grunt and got up off his makeshift seat. He stood above Stark, looking like he was considering slamming him down to the first floor. With a clenched fist he said, "Hulk want food now."

"S-sorry about that.." Tony was seriously embarrassed by the fact the Hulk could probably see it all. It scared him a bit that Hulk was so mad about it. Tony seriously feared for his penis. Hearing the beasts words he stood. "What are you in the mood for? I can have it delivered to the Tower and it'll be there by the time we get there."

"Tacos. A lot of tacos. And if I don't get them fast enough, I'll eat you instead," the Hulk said straight face. He meant it too; didn't want Stark to have a reason to _not _fear him. With that he turned around and leapt from building to building before reaching the Tower.

Stark shivered a bit it was scary how serious the beast could be. Tony called in the order. Twenty taco twelve packs from Taco Bell. Luckily a fifty dollar tip was enough to have it delivered in five minutes. As soon as he got home that boy pulled up looking like he had ran to his car and pushed it himself. Tony paid for the food and tipped the boy. He took the food inside looking for the Hulk. "JARVIS please ask the Hulk to meet me in the bedroom. Inform him I have the food."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS's voice moved to the intercom where the Hulk was "Mr. Hulk, Mr. Stark has the food in the bedroom."

The Hulk wandered around the meeting room, scoping out the area before he had to trash it for Stark thinking he was joking a bit ago. Before he could begin, a voice came up overhead and the green man readied himself to fight. He noticed no one was there and huffed. There was at least the promise of food and that was enough to get him in the elevator and into Stark's bedroom.

"Was starting to think you thought I was joking," he said with a grin and gladly popped an entire taco into his mouth. He went through an entire box within the minute, making as much noise as humanly possible while going at it.

"I never thought you were joking. I just couldn't make the food come any faster. I got twenty cases, let me know now if you'll want more and I'll order it," Tony said trying to make sure he had him fed. Whether he liked how the Hulk treated him or not, he was a member of this team. And just like with all his other teammates he was going to take care of him. "Hulk...even though you hate my guts, I still consider you a member of this team. So when I say I'll make sure you come out more, I mean it. You're welcome here just like all the other Avengers."

"Thanks," he grumbled in between his third and fourth box of tacos. Stark was being sincere enough for him to at least give small gratitude. There was no way he would become like Banner and never shut up about it though, but this was more of a sign in the right direction of things.

Tony couldn't help but smile a bit at the Hulk. It was rare that he got a nice word instead of a grunt. Tony wanted to show the beast that he meant what he really said. He stood up, "How about something for dessert too? Do you like ice cream?" He didn't intend on buying five containers but a gallon or two wouldn't kill his wallet.

"Can't complain," the Hulk said after stuffing another three boxes of tacos in this mouth. This was a first meal in a long time, and it was a hell of a lot better than just downing alcohol.

"Alright, I keep couple gallons here so I never have to go out to buy ice cream," he said getting up. He went to the top floor and had JARVIS remove his suit.

"Sir, is it really a good idea to be around him without the suit?" asked JARVIS.

"No, I really don't. But he has to know that I trust him enough not to kill me. Otherwise he's just going to keep hating me," he answered as he went to the floor with a very large freezer. It was here he kept food stocked up for parties. It seemed to serve a much better use as a place to keep food in case of Hulk. He grabbed two gallon containers of ice cream and went to the kitchen. He served himself a bowl and grabbed two spoons. One normal sized and the other a serving spoon. He went back to the room and handed the Hulk the serving spoon as well as the two containers. Sitting on the ground he dug into his own bowl. Tony wondered if the Hulk would pick up on the fact he lacked a suit now. "Hope you like vanilla."

The time it took Stark to get there and back the Hulk had finished his tacos, leaving a giant pile of garbage on the floor to one side of the bed. He had gone on to just lying on the giant bed, surprisingly large enough to fit the giant man. It seemed odd to actually be out after so long and to enjoy normal things.

Stark soon came in with the ice cream that the Hulk happily accepted. The spoon made him laugh. At least Tony was living up to be that much of a genius. He started digging in when he noticed Iron Man was now Tony Stark. He grunted in approval. As long as he didn't try to purposely piss him off, he wouldn't actively try to hurt him.

Tony couldn't help but smile at the site of the Hulk in the bed. It wasn't every day the Hulk seemed like he belonged somewhere normal. "You're quiet when I'm not pissing you off, huh? Hey big guy, want to watch a movie? I mean it doesn't seem like you enjoy talking a lot and I know you don't enjoy me talking so you know. Seems like a good idea."

Eventually the Hulk would let Banner return, but there was no reason Tony couldn't have some fun with the man in the meantime. Besides suggesting to the Hulk that he go to sleep would probably piss him off. Better to let him think Tony wasn't going to rush him into being Banner again.

The giant man finished up the ice cream containers and set them next to the bed with everything else. He nodded to the man's suggestion. It gave him more time just to be out, even if he'd rather be smashing something. The only sort of television he had watched was through Banner and that was horrible kid shows from random countries for the man the learn more of the language.

"There better be explosions," he stated with a grin.

"Psh, hell yeah. Anything else is just a chick flick," Tony stated getting up and going to the lounge. He put in 'Independence Day' and plopped down on the couch. He patted the large space next to him. Even though he was sure it would destroy his couch, it was important for him to stay on the Hulk's good side.

Hulk sat down with enough space to be comfortably away from Tony. Even if he was being friendly, he still had Banner as a high priority and that could screw him over. Surprisingly enough, the couch only creaked, but didn't crack under the green man's weight. He didn't pay much attention to the dialog or the plot, but whenever something was getting destroyed there was a lopsided grin on his face, occasionally he'd even laugh.

"Hey...how much of Banner's thoughts and feelings do you know? I mean you're obviously awake even when you're not let out..." Tony asked it as if it was more a science question rather than a question out of concern for Banner. If the Hulk knew about Banner's thoughts and feelings, then Tony could take advantage of that and find out the things that Banner was too embarrassed to tell him. It would also be a plus for the Hulk, he'd get to piss off Banner, for telling Tony these things.

"We share the same body, genius. When I'm not out, he is. There's not much to do other than sleep or watch over things in there," he said particularly disgusted. He didn't like talking of Banner, but he was getting at what Stark was. He could bother the man that wouldn't let him out for so long and Tony would get the information he desires. Win win.

"What do you want to know?" Hulk said with a smile, he leaned back on the couch and laughed. There was a particularly nice explosion and then there was Banner in the corner of the room. Like always, only the Hulk could see the man.

"Don't you dare," Bruce said, knowing where the other guy was going to go. There was nothing he could do really, but he still wanted to defend himself. The man only looked flustered and helpless, an amusing site.

"What ya gonna do bout it, lil man?" he said with a smirk. Bruce had nothing to say, there was nothing he could do than just let the other guy do as he pleased at this point. He let out a sigh and he disappeared.

It was obvious that the Hulk saw what he gained from playing this little game. Tony liked when the Hulk smiled, it meant he was in a good mood which made the chances of getting his ass kicked go down. Leaning back he took a breath as he thought of his first question. "You're welcome to ask me questions too if you really want. When you just start talking to no one in particular, are you talking to Bruce?"

"Humph, not like there are many people who'd talk to me. But yes, he was in the corner," the Hulk said pointing to the corner of the room by the TV. He gave a smile and continued, "He wants me to stop talking."

Tony felt a small twinge of pain when the green giant said not many people would talk to him. It really hadn't occurred to him that the man might be affected by the fact so many people feared him and wouldn't talk to him. "You could see him? Can he do that with you when he's out?"

"When he's conscious enough to figure out what's going on and when he wants to tell me what to do," the green man grumbled. "And yes, he likes to see my face when he thinks of himself a monster. I show up willingly when I want to come out, when he won't let me come out," Hulk said with a definite anger in his voice. He gripped at the armrest to his left, causing a giant crack to emanate the room. He never wanted to be a monster, nor Banner. Everything happened so that they were labeled that way and the only thing that could possibly change that now was with the team in the Tower he was at.

Tony listened to this carefully. The Hulk's reaction made it obvious he didn't like Banner viewing him as the monster. Stark never really thought the Hulk was so much like Banner that he really didn't want to be seen as a monster. It hurt a bit to think about how he himself had called the Hulk a monster. "I'll admit I've called you a monster before, but sitting here like this, it's pretty easy to see you're not. You just happen to be a very strong man with a very bad temper."

Tony had hoped this wouldn't piss the Hulk off, he was really trying to say something nice, but he had a habit of saying the wrong thing. It then hit him the whole time they'd been talking the Hulk had been making concise sentences. "Please don't be offended, but why are your sentences so concise now? Last time you were speaking in the third person, now it's the first and your grammar is perfect."

"Thanks," Hulk said not sure if he should hurt the man or actually be grateful. Either way, he got to break something to at least take his mind off it. That and another explosion came on screen. The next question came off as insulting and he did swing around to put a fist to Tony's face.

"Not as dumb as you take me for. Don't forget it," he said with a lower growl and a scowl on his face. "Might not be as smart as Banner, just don't like talking. Angrier Hulk get, more loss of logic he says." He let out a snort in his face and turned back to where he was originally sitting.

Tony jumped when the Hulk put his fist in his face, he held his breath until he turned back. "Again, I wasn't trying to offend you, I was just curious. Sorry." Tony let another explosion happen before going on to ask a question about Bruce. He hoped he'd come upon an answer that would embarrass Bruce, because that would put the Hulk in a better mood.

"How does Bruce feel about my PDA habits?" he asked quietly. He knew that it made Bruce uncomfortable, but he wasn't sure if Bruce liked it or not.

"He doesn't," Hulk grumbled, the topic making him slightly happier to know Bruce would be up in arms for it later. "He doesn't know how to deal with it. Too embarrassing, freaks him out. Keep it up, Tinman." The giant smiled, knowing that Banner was going to be mad at him for encouraging the Iron Avenger.

"I promise I will," Tony said laughing hard. Just the thought that Hulk was encouraging him to be affectionate with the man, as long as it was in public, was humorous enough. "How does he feel about my sexual drive?"

This was probably one question that would definitely embarrass him, not to mention it was something Tony really wanted to know about. Not that he thought Bruce let him fuck him just to be nice. No one lets someone pop their black cherry to be nice, but sometime he felt he was working hard to sustain him when it shouldn't be work. It should be something he wanted to do.

The Hulk let out a big huff. It's not like he wants to talk about the other guy's sexual endeavors, but if it was to piss him off then it would be the price to pay. Banner's thoughts on the matter, he thought were hilarious. He busted out laughing with a hand on his stomach as he leaned back on the couch.

"He feels too inadequate to satisfy your needs," he said after his fit. The fact the man could satisfy Tony's sexual desires at all was a miracle in itself and set the giant into another hearty laugh.

Tony sat confused as the Hulk laughed. It didn't seem like a really funny question. The answer seemed like something Bruce would feel. He shook his head a bit and gave a chuckle. He didn't know if the Hulk was laughing because he found Bruce's insecurities to be stupid or what, but it was still fun to watch him laugh. Tony couldn't really think of any more questions. "Anything else you want to tell me that Bruce wouldn't want me to know?"

"He has no idea why you're attracted to him. Just like how he has no clue how to actually please you," the Hulk shrugged diverting his attention back to the screen. He smiled, hopefully there would be enough to stir things up between the two and to make sure Banner would be horribly displeased with him later.

"Thanks, bud," Tony said giving a big smile. It was fun talking to the man next to him. He noticed that during the course of this night he went from thinking of him as a monster, to a man. It made him smile a bit. "Anything you want to ask me? I don't know what information I have that you'd want, but I'm happy to oblige if you want to know anything."

"How badly do you want me to be Banner right now?" he grunted awkwardly. There was a definite scowl on his face and the couch was getting more damaged to the armrest. Of course Shell Head would rather have his love toy, but it still bothered him that Banner was always preferred over himself.

"Well as much as I love Bruce, not at all right now. He is bound to be pissed about me asking you questions. Besides, I'm having a good time. You and Bruce share a body so, you should get to enjoy yourself too," Tony didn't really care whether it was Bruce or Hulk at the moment, not that he didn't love spending every second with Bruce, he just felt he owed the Hulk a bit more kindness after treating him like a beast for so long. Not to mention he saved his life.

"Hey, I know I already thanked you for it, but I want to thank you again for saving my life. I know you only did it because Bruce asked you, but you didn't have to so I want you to know I am grateful to you separate from Bruce too." Last time he had received a grunt in response, and he expected one this time again, but he felt awful this whole time he was more thanking Bruce for it when the Hulk had also done it.

The Hulk gave a curious and skeptical look to Tony with the surprising response. He had let go of the poor armrest that was hanging by some pieces of leather at that point. The next part was just as surprising. It was going to be a cold day in hell if he thought Tony Stark would thank him twice over the same thing from knowing what he's seen. This thanks seemed more directed toward him. He turned back to the explosions on the TV, this wasn't something he normally dealt with.

"Don't mention it," he huffed.

Tony decided not to point out that Bruce had said the exact same thing. He was happy he had gotten a real response from the Hulk. It amazed him how different the Hulk and Bruce were. How they managed to share a body he'd never know. He stood and opened his arms. "Gimme a hug buddy, preferably not bone crushing."

It was a stupid idea, but Tony felt that if anything the Hulk would laugh his ass off at the idea. But the Hulk seemed like he needed some affection. If he accepted the hug Tony could only pray he wouldn't be broken.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!" the giant boomed, loud enough to shake the floor. Once he calmed down he was able to look up at Stark and gave a grin. "Only hug you'll get outta me is the one with your spine in two. You got a freebie a month ago, appreciate it."

The Hulk stood up himself, his giant laugh took it out of him. He made his way over to Bruce's room. There was no way he would sleep with Tony while he was out. "G'night Tinman. Give him hell tomorrow."

Tony began laughing so hard he had to use the couch to support him. He really didn't expect the man to respond with that. It literally hurt he was laughing so hard. When he calmed down he was able to respond to the Hulk, "G'night, big guy. You know I will. Hey next time let's watch Die Hard."

Suggesting a movie for next time was his way of letting the Hulk know that they'd be seeing each other again soon. He went to his own room and stripped down to his boxers. This would be the first time sleeping alone since he and Bruce's first date. It was a bit disheartening. He crawled into the cold big bed. "JARVIS wake me up when Bruce wakes up."

"Yes, sir" with JARIVS's response he slowly fell into an unrestful sleep.

Hulk gave a final nod before entering Bruce's room. He laid down on the giant bed, knowing what would happen once he actually went to sleep. He closed his eyes while lying on his back, getting the first restful sleep he's ever had. Soon enough, the giant green man turned into the small Bruce Banner who continued the rest.


	13. Chapter 13 Fun and Games

**Happy Belated Thorsday! Enjoy the new chapter! Warning, from here on out, I'm not marking where the sex is (the chaper is called fun and games, two and two together and we're having a ball). So if you got issues with that, sorry :(  
**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. WE ARE SORRY TO DISAPPOINT. **

Chapter 13 - Fun and Games  
Bruce awoke a couple hours after changing back. There was a cool breeze in the room and the fact he was half naked with extremely stretched out pants didn't insulate the skinny man properly. The fact he was a light sleeper didn't help anything. Scratching his head, he noticed that the watch had stayed on, even after transformation. He gave a weak smile and moved out of bed, gripping onto the baggy pants tightly to prevent them from falling.  
He quickly discarded the worn jeans once he acquired a pair of boxers to throw on. Moving back to the bed, he noticed it was his bed, not Tony's. It seemed odd to be sleeping in his room without the man, especially when he had switched rooms and everything. If it wasn't for the fact he would disturb the man's sleep and have to face with whatever embarrassment the other guy gave him, he would have ventured into the other bedroom. He sighed, but crawled into bed, making sure he had the soft satin sheets and blanket on him this time as he laid down on his side. He had gotten used to being spooned every night, and even without Tony he continued his normal position.

As soon Bruce sat up in the bed, JARVIS woke Tony up. Tony woke up exhausted. Without his cuddle toy, he just couldn't sleep well. Rubbing his eyes, he got up and walked down the hall to the room that he decided to deem the Hulk's room now. He smiled when he caught sight of Bruce under the covers.  
Immediately, Tony literally hopped into the bed. He straddled Bruce's waist and smiled leaning down to kiss the man's temple. Gently, he grinded against the man's hip trying to wake him in a way that would get him the best blush from Bruce. He had promised the Hulk he'd give Bruce hell and he was going to oblige. "Good morning, Banner baby."

Bruce groaned at being disturbed after he had actually started to get asleep once again. The fact Tony was humping him didn't make it any better. A blush shot up his face instantly as he turned off his side onto his back to actually get to look at Tony with his own eyes, even if it would only encourage the man to grind more. "I should never let you two plot alone," he said with a pout, he could only imagine what Stark would do with the information he got out of the other guy.

"No, you really shouldn't have, but I'm glad you did," he said still moving. The man turning only told him Bruce wanted him to continue. Leaning down, he kissed the man again. This time much more passionately. "Hanging out with him was fun, but boy did I miss the taste of your lips. Not to mention I couldn't sleep a wink without you in bed with me."

Bruce happily took the kiss over the humping. After just waking up after a Hulk out, it was nice to be able to kiss the man he loves right off the bat. When they parted, Bruce gave a small smile. It really was nice to get to look at Tony after so long. Once he realized he was staring, he gave a blush and diverted his eyes to the bright arc reactor in Tony's chest.  
"Thank you. I miss you too," Banner said softly. He wrapped his arms around Stark's back and pulled him in for another kiss, this one rougher than what Bruce would normally do. They broke again and the doctor gave his lopsided grin. "At least I didn't need to get a migraine for you," he said referring the actions Tony took the other day to get him to change back.  
Tony couldn't help but give a small moan into the kiss. He loved it when Bruce was a bit more aggressive. Bruce's staring didn't go unnoticed, it made Tony smile. It amused him that when Bruce was trying to hide his staring he looked at the arc reactor. Tony decided to tease him, "Still curious about the arc reactor? You know you can touch it if you want."  
"Sorry, bout that hangover. But hey, it was an effective way to make him sleep. This time there was no real rush, he was really nice," Tony said remembering last night and how they hit it off. It had been a pretty fun night in all honesty, but now he had to clean up the mess in his room. "How's your ass feeling?"

"I'll keep that in mind," Bruce said with a blush, embarrassed he had been caught staring in both cases. There was a relief that the other guy was at least playing nice, he could finally start becoming a real member of the team if it keeps up. The physicist gave a smile knowing that. Then Stark asked about his ass and he let out a laugh, the timing of the question was too odd for him.  
"I'm fine, I'm fine. All healed now. Reconfiguration of gaining and losing muscle mass took care of it. Unlike with my hangover, we share the same blood with that so his blood alcohol level and mine are the same. I don't even want to think about how much you made the Hulk drink to get it high enough for him to pass out," he said with a smile. At least he wouldn't be in pain the next time Hawkeye decided to slap his ass.

"Good, now I don't have to hold back," he teased. As much as he really wanted to just get right into some 'good morning' sex, Tony did have to talk to Bruce about some things the Hulk said that were bothering him. He gave a small sigh and smiled a bit, "but getting into sexy time will have to wait."  
He got off the man and laid next to him so they could look each other in the eye. "Bruce, you've got to stop thinking of the Hulk as a monster. He's just like you, he doesn't want to be considered a monster and he wants to be accepted by everybody else. It really hurts him to be seen as a beast. You've got the easier end of trying not to be a monster. You look normal, he's giant and green. That's a bit harder to come and say, 'I'm just like everybody else.' So cut the guy some slack alright?"

"Tony...Of course he wouldn't tell you exactly what I said," he gave a small sigh. There was no way for his lover to have heard him while he was convincing the Hulk to help. "I know I've thought like that before...But I do believe he can do things for the benefit of others. I told him we don't have to run or hide anymore, that we don't _have_ to be a monster."  
"That's how I got him to join the Avengers," he said after a long pause. Bruce returned to look back at the ceiling. He didn't feel like mentioning what he gave up currently, he was surprised he was able to be himself at the moment. "I don't know exactly what you talked to the other guy about, it's still hard for me to keep conscious as him, but that's what I told him back at the subway."

"Well, we talked about a lot of things," Tony said as his smile slowly started to grow remembering everything the Hulk had told him last night. "We talked about his speech patterns, the fact you guys can hear and talk to each other, we talked about your feelings on a lot of things, but most importantly…"  
Tony then wrapped his arms around Bruce pulling him closer so he suck on his neck roughly. "We talked about me giving you hell. Sorry, I just can't break a promise to the big guy."

"F-fuck, Tony...," Bruce moaned unable to resist, even when he was tired. Being close felt amazing after being away for so long. He wrapped his arms around the billionaire to get him closer. "I'm going to be getting a lot more of this later, aren't I?" Banner asked, feeling he knew the answer already if that was the promise.

"Bruce, I haven't been able to make my normal sex quota in a quite a while. We have some catching up to do. Not to mention your tab," Tony said before returning to his ministrations. Bruce could deny it all he wanted, but his actions gave him away. Bruce liked it and Tony was happy to oblige.  
After a small time of sucking on the man's neck, Tony stopped abruptly. "However, if you're too tired I can stop." he was being a tease and he knew it, but nothing was more satisfying than hearing Bruce say he wanted it.

"I'm sorry to disappoint, but I don't have anywhere near your endurance," Bruce said with a blush, burying his face into the pillow to hide it as Stark kept going at his neck. He was twitching under the nice pleasure Tony was giving when it abruptly ended. The doctor brought his red face out of the pillow to look at Stark's snarky face. It was obvious he just wanted to tease him.  
"I feel like that's more of a problem for you if we're going to meet you 'sex quota'. I wasn't touched by another human being for years before you, don't think I can't last through it again," he said with a smile, he knew he had the upper hand of that.

Stark was surprised that the man actually played that card. It was unfair. Tony liked to take on challenges, but he wasn't stupid enough to challenge that. Instead, Tony decided to take a new approach. A much more forward approach. "You're right, Bruce. I can't compete with that. But like you said, I have great endurance. Don't think I won't use that to my advantage."  
Tony emphasized this by reaching between them and palming Bruce through the fabric of his boxers. "You know, you make it very hard to tease you. It seems I can only do it when you're extremely turned on. So guess I'll just have to make sure to do that."

"Mhph!" Bruce tried to suppress a loud moan to no real avail. Tony did go back to playing with him, but much more aggressively than he anticipated. It wasn't like he didn't enjoy it; the growing bulge that Stark was handling was proof of that, Bruce just hadn't braced himself properly. His breathing was off and he quickly corrected it to slow down his growing heart rate.  
The doctor was had gone red up to his ears, the embarrassment of liking Tony's actions made him bury his head into Stark's chest, partially on the arc reactor. Bruce clutched Stark's back as he made sure to give a long drawn out squeeze, causing him to let out a gasp. Quick to regain himself, Bruce said with a smile, "It's not like I want to make it too easy for you."

"No offense Bruce, but it's always easy to turn you on. I'm just too sexy," Tony teased. He knew he was succeeding when Bruce moaned and hid his face. Not to mention the firm feeling forming in Bruce's boxers.  
"Aww come on. Don't hide from me. I want to see your red face," Tony knew this was Bruce's way of keeping calm, but he honestly enjoyed seeing the man's face. It was arousing to see and hear the man's reactions to Tony's playing.

"I can't admit to that. I don't want to be held responsible for causing you to explode from your ego trip," Bruce said still smug, trying to keep himself composed, only off putted by the moans the man made. It was a hard job. He had to try and foresee the tricks Tony could pull and to keep his breathing regulated while the other was handling him.

What Stark said next made him blush profusely. His already extremely red face managed to get hotter as he took his head away from the man's chest. Bruce still hung onto Tony's back, trying to make sure his grasp didn't hurt the man. There was no way he could look Tony in the eyes with the request, he would melt from his body becoming too warm in the embarrassment, so they went over to the man's neck.

Stark smiled at the small achievement of getting to see Banner's face as they fooled around. Next will be getting the man to look him in the eyes, but that would be for another time. Just like how Stark could, according to Banner, explode from over inflated ego, Bruce could explode from embarrassment, or intimacy, or happiness, or, well, any emotion.

"There he is," Tony said kissing the red man's forehead. "You know you really are adorable." Pausing for a moment Tony gave a small smile as he applied a bit more pressure "You can hide if you really want to. I don't want you to be too uncomfortable, you should enjoy this."

"Thank you," Bruce stuttered at the question and the complement with a small smile. Gratefully, he placed his head next to Stark's. As a reward for the billionaire's kindness, he slowly gave light kisses down the man's neck and stopped at the collar bone. There he gave a good suck to the sweet tasting skin, payback and a punishment from all the teasing Stark had done.

Bruce lifted back slightly to see his work with a smile. He gave a grin and gave a long lick up Tony's neck, backtracking the trail of sweet kisses he gave only to blow a cool stream of air on them to see if he could get the man to moan.

"Mmm," Tony moaned lightly feeling the light kisses on his neck. He gasped a bit when Bruce began sucking. It all just felt so good. A shiver ran up his back, feeling the cool air hit his wet neck. Bruce was teasing him again and it was just so sexy. Tony felt his lower head coming to life.

"How is it that even when you're being shy and trying to hide, you manage to tease me?" he asked finally reaching into the man's boxers to stroke him properly. He considered calling Bruce's tab since he was so lively today, but didn't want to discourage Bruce from doing this again.

"I've hid from the military for years, Tony. If I didn't know how to flaunt it in their faces that they couldn't catch me, I'd be disappointed in myself," Bruce said after a gasp to being fondled with without the hindering fabric. It felt amazing and he held onto Tony closer to bite down on his neck to muffle his moans. Once Stark became rhythmic in his pleasing patterns, Banner backed off his neck and gave it a sweet kiss for any discomfort caused.

"But maybe you're just easy to tease as well," Bruce said with a wink of his eye as he pulled around to face Tony again. He looked into his eyes for a second before closing them as he pulled into a lustful kiss.

Tony's laugh was cut short by a moan he couldn't help but let out when the man bit him. There was definitely going to be a mark there for a while. Not that Tony minded, it was always a pleasure to let people know he was getting what he wanted. "I'm only easy to tease when it's you, babe."

Tony's heart almost stopped when Bruce looked him in the eyes. It was amazing that he managed to keep his hand moving in rhythm considering that for the second Banner held eye contact, Tony was lost in his gaze. Tony kissed the man back with passion he didn't even know he had. This moment was one of those times Tony wanted to stop time, but there always had to be payback. There was no way he was going to let Bruce get away with making him moan like that and not pay. Tony slowly began playing with the head rubbing his thumb over the slit gently. Hopefully, he'd make the man let out an even louder moan.

Bruce let out a loud moan into Tony's mouth that caused him to part gasping for air from the pleasure. He rested, panting with his tongue halfway out of his mouth still wanting to taste the amazing man he was with. The more Tony played with the head the more Bruce couldn't stop wriggling in pleasure. He had to lean on Stark for support, biting his lip to try and regulate himself through his nose.

"Oh god, Tony! P-please," he begged for release. The teasing was becoming too much, his heart was racing too much which was evident from a robotic voice coming from his watch.

"Heart rate at 170 beats per minute. Please use caution," said JARVIS from the new watch.

"Fuck..." Tony said unhappy that already they were being interrupted. There was nothing that got him harder faster than Bruce begging him for the release. As much as he loved teasing Bruce, and would love to hear more of his begging, he didn't want him to Hulk out so soon. He had his Bruce back for now and he'd like to keep it that way for at least a little while.

"You're lucky that watch saved you, or you'd have to wait a lot longer," Tony said as he began stroking the man again at an increased rate. Kissing the man roughly he reached his free hand into the man's boxers as well to begin fondling his testicles.

"Thank you watch," Bruce said with a smile which disappeared when a gasp overcame the man. The noise was cut off equally as fast by Stark invading his mouth. Banner tightened his grip around Stark, trying to get himself closer to the source of heat that could melt him. He could feel the familiar warm pooling in his abdomen. The feeling was amazing, but causing his heart to race farther.

"Heart rate at 190 beats per minute. Initiating beta blockers to terminate potential Hulk out," JARVIS stated and a sharp pain went into Bruce's wrist.

"F-Fuck," he grunted after parting from Tony. "I'm going to cum." Banner gave enough warning and finished off on a hard down stroke from Stark. The warm fluid went into the man's prepared hand while Bruce leaned onto Tony for support. It felt like the room was spinning around him, but he felt wonderful. Extremely tired, but wonderful.

Tony was quite impressed the man was managing to stay awake with the beta blockers, especially since he just came. Removing his hands from Bruce's boxers he grabbed some tissue from the nightstand, which he had kept in there when he was sleeping in Bruce's room every night. Wiping off his hands, he returned to his position of supporting Bruce. "Those beta blockers are pretty strong huh? Maybe I should get a less concentrated serum. I just didn't want you Hulking out during sex. He'd rip my dick off..."

Tony pulled the covers over them and pulled Bruce closer to his chest. "Perhaps now would be a good time to catch up on sleep we missed?"

"No, it's okay. But the other guy would probably do that," Bruce said warily, enjoying the warmth from Tony's chest. He was embarrassed that he had to set off his watch so early from receiving it and was glad to hide his red face into Tony.

"S-sorry about setting it off... I was forgetting to breathe with you." Banner scratched his head lightly, sorry to ruin the fun. His eyes had become very heavy, and he allowed himself to close them. Soon his breath was even, but before the man passed out he managed to wish Stark a good night.

"I love you," he whispered into the warm chest. "Good morning and goodnight."

"Awww, Banner, I never knew I take your breath away," Tony teased ignoring the irrelevant apology. He stroked the man's hair gently as he was evening out his breath. "I love you too, sweet dreams."

When Banner awoke, Tony had a surprise for him and the other guy. It would be hilarious and downright fun as hell. All he needed was to set up a good surprise.

Bruce awoke once there were signs of light outside the giant window of the Tower. Somehow the light hit his eye correctly to wake him while most of his head was buried into Tony's chest. Even when fatigued greatly by drugs, the man still slept a miniscule portion of what his body actually needed. Banner turned his head to lightly kiss Stark's neck where he had previously devoured.

"Good morning. Again," he said with a smile to the sleeping Stark.

Tony shuttered a bit feeling the sensitive area kissed. He opened his eyes slowly "Good morning, Dr. Banner. How'd you sleep while pumped full of drugs?" he asked with a snarky smile.

Looking at his watch, he saw he didn't have much time. He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. "JARVIS deactivate the beta blockers."

"Yes, sir." After a few moments he called Bruce into the bathroom.

"Better," Bruce said with a small smile which went away after Stark just up and left. Banner laid confused on the bed, not wanting to disturb Tony's urgency. Soon Bruce was called and he rolled out of bed.

"Yes?" he asked inquisitively when he walked into the room.

Tony grabbed Bruce from behind and dipped him. He kissed him deeply and smiled. "I was wondering if we could take another shower together." Tony wanted to talk to the Hulk, but, until it was the last possible second, he wanted his Banner so he figured they might as well get ready together.

"I feel it would be fun, and this time I don't have to be so gentle in washing you," he said groping the man's ass.

A blush swooped Bruce's face as he returned the man's passion. He gave a smile matching Tony's which turned to a nervous grin at Tony's suggestion. Banner turned his eyes to the arc reactor so he wouldn't have to see the man enjoying his embarrassment. Then he tensed up as the sudden touch to his ass.

"Well you didn't keep your promise to read me the labels last time...," he said with a pout. Of course it wasn't necessary to shower with Tony this time, but he did enjoy his time with him. It felt even warmer with Tony holding him with the water pouring over the both of them. Bruce would be embarrassed to have himself so exposed to Stark once again, but he really did want to be with him. The teasing was just payback for leaving him confused in the bedroom.

"Even more reason, I need to make up for that," Tony said still kneading the man's arse. The red on Bruce's face told Tony he was doing something right. Pulling Bruce with him, he moved to turn on the hot water. He played with the waistband of Bruce's underwear lazily. "So what do ya say? Give me a chance to be useful?"

It was going to be a win-win situation if Bruce said no, he'd just spend more time groping him and maybe if he was lucky get sex. If he said yes, then Tony would get to play around with him in the shower and if he got lucky get sex.

"Well...since I'm already in here...," Bruce said with a smile and a moan, enjoying the pleasant touch of Tony Stark. There was a full blush on his face as he allowed Tony to pull down his boxers then the man made haste to take off his own, throwing the items out of the shower. Banner followed Stark as they went under the hot water, still playing with the man's ass.

"I'm not going to be allowed to get any rest now, am I?" he asked with a smile.

"Nope, now you're going to enjoy some more loving," Tony said grabbing a couple bottles of scented soaps. He wet a washcloth as he began to read them. "We have Old Spice, Dial, Dove, Axe, and then some fruity ones like vanilla bean, coconut, tropical breeze..."

Tony couldn't believe the amount of very feminine soaps he had in his shower. It was too damn girly. He liked Banner smelling fruity, but he didn't like to himself. It was a bit annoying. "Whatever soap you choose, I'll give you the same shampoo and conditioner."

"Vanilla sounds nice," Bruce smiled, blushing. He had tasted a nice and sweet vanilla taste from Stark earlier that made the scent seem much better. The doctor took the product that Tony had handed him with a nod, lathering the item on his curly hair. It felt odd to have someone there watching him, which only made him blush earlier. He rinsed his hair and repeated the process with the other bottle he was handed.

"First time I'll smell like one thing. Mark it on the calendar," he said with a small, lopsided grin.

"I like the smell of vanilla," Tony said watching the man as he washed. Tony himself grabbed the Old Spice. It's the scent of manliness and he would accept no less. Besides, he was sure his manly scent is what kept Bruce coming back to his chest.

"Sadly, this way I don't get to play 'name that scent'. I won't get to smell you in public with a reason. Oh well, guess I'll just have to do it without a reason. I don't mind too much," He said pulling the man close to him so he could smell his soapy body.

"I'd prefer if you didn't," Bruce said, his face flustered, but hidden in Tony's chest. The public affection would be too embarrassing; he was still having a hard time coping with the fact that everyone knew his personal life. Banner didn't resist being on Stark, the fresh scent of soap on his was rather alluring. It only became a problem when he couldn't finish washing his own body.

"Um...could you pass me the soap and a washcloth?" he asked finally pulling his blushing face away from the man's chest.

Tony handed the man the objects he wanted. This would definitely be a show, seeing the man rubbing himself all over. It didn't take a lot for Bruce to turn Tony on. Just the man blushing was a turn on because it was so damn cute. Talking science worked because it was showing Tony how smart the man really was and why he respected him. Then seeing him in the shower, well that one doesn't need explanation.

"Bruce, want to help me wash?" he teased.

"Thank you," Bruce accepted the items and turned around to hide his redden cheeks. He lathered up the washcloth and started to apply it to his body. It was obvious that Stark was watching and there was no need for him to see it and make himself more embarrassed at the prospect. Banner moved quickly from the upper half of his body to the lower, once he bent over to wash his legs did Stark ask him the question. It caught him off guard and quickly made him stand back up so he wouldn't fall over on the slippery tiles. Bruce ran the hot water over his body for a few minutes before answering.

"O-only since you helped me yesterday," he stuttered as he moved behind Stark, taking the man's washcloth and Old Spice. To repay Tony was one reason to take up the offer; the other was so Bruce could touch the man's sexy body. Since Tony already asked, Bruce didn't have to awkwardly ask for permission to do so.

The doctor positioned himself so Stark wouldn't be able to turn around and see his flustered face. He lathered the washcloth with the body wash and slowly started at Stark's shoulders. There was a small smile on his face as he placed his hand on Tony's waist, lightly brushing against the wet skin. Bruce took more time to work on Tony than he allowed himself, but that was because he knew his partner liked to bathe longer. Inching down Stark's arms, Bruce asked quietly, "Is this okay...?"

Tony smiled as he watched Banner wash, even if it was from the back. It was amusing to watch him snap up at his request. Once Bruce agreed to wash him, Tony's smile grew. It was adorable how nervous Bruce was when washing him. His touch was so tentative and gentle; it made Tony relax a bit.

"It'd be better if you were in front of me, but yes this is just fine," Tony said leaning into the man a bit. He placed his head back onto the man's shoulder so he could whisper into the man's ear. "If your washing me feels this good any chance of getting a massage later?"

"Only if I can take it out of my tab," Bruce said with a smile. His hand moved down to Tony's chest, circling it slowly. He purposely avoided going over the arc reactor, just to make sure cleanup was easier for the man. Banner worked his way down Stark's torso to stop at the man's hips. Bruce looked down for the first time and had to admit, Stark had a great ass. Not that he would tell him, Tony's ego would explode across the room.

Bruce brought his eyes back to Tony's head, feeling embarrassed for staring. He wrapped his free arm around Stark's torso as he took extra time to run over the plump ass, giving it a nice squeeze once he was done, a return of the favour for Stark getting him in the shower in the first place.

"I suppose that's fair," Tony said obviously enjoying himself. It was more fun than he had initially thought it would be. Tony had noticed that Bruce was taking a little longer than necessary to wash his arse. This was great for his ego, because it meant that Banner truly enjoyed his ass.  
"Having fu-" his sentence was cut short by a much unexpected squeeze to his ass that caused his hips to thrust forward a bit before relaxing. "Well, I was going to ask if you're having fun, but I see now that you're having a ball. Hope it's up to your expectations."

He was baiting for Bruce to compliment his ass. He knew Bruce purposefully didn't tell him a lot of compliments to keep his ego down, mainly because the man has told him so before. But when Tony did get to hear the compliment he loved it.

"Y-Yes, I'm having fun," Bruce blushed and moved down Tony's legs, faster than his original pace. He had purposely avoided responding to the man's last statement, the answer was obvious. Finally, the last thing left for him to clean was Stark's package and the thought made his red face feel all the warmer. Bruce moved back to his position where Tony's back was against his chest while he held him around the waist. His warm soapy body felt amazing to the touch and would allow himself to run a few strokes against Tony's skin with his free hand.

"Um, sorry," Bruce said nervously as he moved the washcloth over Stark's manhood, making sure to clean everything. Bruce turned his head to kiss the back of Tony's neck lovingly as he closed his eyes. He ran the fabric around Stark's slightly aroused penis and stroked it gently.

Tony chuckled a bit as the man sped through washing his legs. He considered making a joke about Banner just wanting to hurry to washing his package, but considering the sensitive area he was about to be washing he decided against it. "No need to be sorry, I _really _won't get the suit and attack you for it."

Stark tensed only slightly when Bruce started washing the stimulated area, but as soon as he began stroking it Tony let out a small moan. It felt great. He leaned further into Bruce, if that was possible. The heat on his back from the other man, and the friction on his manhood only made him harder. Bruce was definitely bolder when Tony wasn't looking at him.

"Looks like you're having a ball too," Bruce stated holding onto Tony tighter to support him better. The doctor had moved away from the growing cock and started fondling his testicles within the cloth. He could feel the man twitch into him and gave another kiss to the man's neck, sucking it lightly. Stark wasn't the only one with an enlarging dick. Banner's was soon poking Tony in the back, seeing Stark so vulnerable was really turning the man on.

Tony couldn't help but moan and twitch a bit feeling the man's hands through the cloth. The texture of the soapy fabric only added to the experience. He was quite surprised to feel Bruce's hard-on pressing against his back. "I do believe someone is turned on...by playing with my manhood."

Stark was teasing the man. It wasn't until the first time Stark tried giving Bruce a blow job that he realized how much of a turn on it was to play with the man's privates. He wondered if Bruce had previously realized it too. "Need help washing again?"

"Y-yes," Bruce whispered into Tony's ear, his face was reddened from the actions he was enjoying. He relinquished Tony's junk and spun himself around the man to face him finally. Banner braved to look into Stark's devilish eyes, it was obvious he had plans for Bruce and, with his current state of arousal, he didn't mind.

Tony let out a small whine when Bruce released his genitals. He had been enjoying himself. When Banner turned to face him Tony couldn't help but smile. His eyes trailed down to the arousal, Bruce really _had _been enjoying himself. "I think I can help you with that."

He grabbed the vanilla soap and lathered his hand deciding to skip on the wash cloth. Gripping Bruce's cock, he began stroking it quickly. He began kissing the man's neck tasting the water and the soap from before.

"Mmm," Bruce moaned, keeping his breathing regulated in the process. The slick feeling and the force Tony was giving made his cock feel all the better. He twitched and tensed up in pleasure as he wrapped his arms around Tony's neck to pull him in closer. Bruce could threaten Tony all he wanted about how he went without a touch from anyone, but now that he had him, there was no way he would want to go back to that. Stark just turned him on too well.

Tony's hand just continued in its rhythm. Using his free hand, he reached between them to stroke himself. It didn't bother him that Bruce stopped to pull them closer together, but he'd be damned before he missed getting off twice in one day. The man's moans only pushed him closer to the edge. Kissing Bruce, he tangled their tongues, quieting their moans in exchange for feeling and tasting more of the man.

The taste of Tony in Bruce's mouth only added to the pool of warmth he was feeling in his groin. Tony kept stroking him, faster with each pump of his own cock; it was making him squirm while holding onto the man. He was close to cumming, everything the man was doing just felt incredibly pleasurable.

"I-I'm going to cum," Bruce announced with a gasp from parting with Tony's mouth. A few seconds later, he was proven right with the warm fluid shooting out and landed on Stark's stomach. Bruce blushed and kissed Tony again, enjoying the afterglow and allowing his heart to settle. Stark was still frantically playing with himself and Banner looked down to see the sight. He looked back up to Tony with an idea, after some guilt for leaving him hanging.  
"I-If you want, I could help you finish off in whatever way you want...," Bruce blushed looking into Tony's eyes. He enjoyed looking at the man's passion after getting finished off. He could see the love glowing then.

Tony couldn't help but feel a bit of satisfaction when he felt the warm liquid on his stomach, it quickly rinsed off with the water in the pouring on them from the shower. He just loved when Bruce came. He was always more affectionate and revealed more of his emotions on his face. Tony kissed the man back, knowing this was his way of showing gratitude. Because obviously saying 'thanks for making me cum' would probably make the man overload on embarrassment and frankly it would be a little too far for Tony too.

"F-fuck, I don't care how...J-Just finished what you started," Tony said his breath a bit haggard. It was obvious he was very near climaxing; he just hadn't been pushed over the edge yet. It was days like this that he cursed his endurance. Of course it did help seeing Bruce look into his eyes. It always helped because he knew he was one of the few people in the world that got that privilege.

Bruce nodded with a blush, realizing that he had started this for once. He removed his arms from Tony's neck and started yanking at the man's throbbing prick. Banner was glad he was able to breathe properly once again, but gave light kisses along Stark's neck as he ran his free hand up and down his back. Occasionally, he'd go back to the ass he was playing with just a little bit earlier and give it a nice grab. It felt wonderful in his hand as he kneaded it. With each grab he'd give an equal one to the head of Stark's penis where he'd get to enjoy the man's moans and squirms.

Stark let his hand fall once he felt Bruce's near his manhood. He let out a loud moan once Bruce took over. His hips bucked lightly into Bruce's touch. Every time Bruce grabbed the head Stark released a fairly audible gasp. It wasn't too long before Tony felt the tight coil in his stomach.

"I'm going to c-cum," he warned as his hip bucking increased in speed. The warning wasn't far off. Soon he came into Bruce's expecting hand. After catching his breath for a moment and enjoying the afterglow, Tony wrapped his arms around the man and pulled Bruce against him. He kissed the man passionately, tangling their tongues before releasing him so they could both enjoy breathing. "New rule, we're not allowed to shower alone." he teased with a big grin.

Bruce smiled as the warm semen shot at his hand. He let the water rinse it off as Stark pulled him for a kiss. Once it was cleaned, he wrapped his arms around Stark's neck once again to keep him there, not wanting to let go but of course he knew he was restricted from that. He caught his breath back after they parted and grinned at the new rule.

"I guess I can handle that," he said with a blush as he took some of the soap to wash off his hands for the last time. Banner was still embarrassed about his actions so his hands returned to their normal position at his waist, but this time his eyes kept on Stark's. There was the love in his eyes that he could only see with him and it was very evident after Stark got something he wanted. "I'm sorry about um...all that. Take it out of my tab?"

"Guess I'll have to, but please never apologize for fooling around. That's just like saying we're two horny teenagers whose making out went farther than we thought," Tony scolded "This isn't a one night stand, so unless you actually make a mistake you don't have to apologize for getting off or helping me get off. Definitely not for helping me get off."

Stark gave the man one more kiss before washing off once more. As much success as he felt when Bruce came, it wasn't really his thing to take a shower and leave dirtier than he came in. "JARVIS have Dummy get Bruce and I's ID cards while we get dressed please."

"Yes, sir," came the robotic voice. Tony dried off and went into their room to toss on some clothes. It wasn't long before Dummy brought in the cards. Tony looked at his watch and smiled realizing they still had time.

"Hey Bruce, you know how you promised the Hulk that you'd let him out more and stuff?" Tony began with a small smile. "Well Clint and Natasha are going to spar soon and I figured the big guy would appreciate watching Clint get his ass kicked more than you and you know you kind of have to keep your promise..." Tony really hoped he wasn't offending the man. It was just something he had thought of. Why not let the Hulk enjoy something Bruce probably wouldn't?

Bruce blushed and refrained himself for apologizing again to the man. He let the kiss act for him and he averted his eyes while Tony washed up. The man's words did hit him; he felt like he was as skilled as a teenager while Tony was the expert. It made him feel slightly inept and he twiddled his fingers as he waited for Tony to finish up. Once done, he followed him out and dried off, keeping the towel around his waist.

The doctor stood in by the bed with a sad look to his eyes. He knew he promised, there was no need to be reminded of it. The loss of his freedom was the price to pay so they wouldn't have to run anymore. Banner didn't suspect that he would change so soon again after waking up. _Should've gone to the lab and got some work done rather than fooling around Banner..._

"I'm going to need more clothes if I'm to be changing more often," Bruce stated quietly as he walked into the closet. He found his newly moved clothes, courtesy of Dummy. Picking out the nearest pants, a purpley blue pair of dress slacks, and threw them on tossing the towel over his shoulder. He didn't bother with boxers, rather to conserve the amount of clothes he would destroy for he already felt guilty that Stark would be buying whatever he needed.

The doctor walked back out, as clothed as he needed to be. He took his ID from Tony and pocketed the item, just in case. Banner turned to his wrist. If he was going to change, then it would be preferred he didn't get drugged in the process. "JARVIS, please turn off the beta blockers."

"The beta blockers of your watch have already been turned off by Mr. Stark," JARVIS stated from his wrist. Bruce gave a sad nod, even Tony was encouraging him to leave. He gave a pained smile to the man as his eyes turned a glowing green.

"I guess I'll talk to you later. Maybe," he said before his body grew, tearing at his pants. In seconds, the Hulk stood staring at Stark, a giant grin on his face.


	14. Chapter 14 Surprises

**In which, my friend and I had a feels contest...Be warned.**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, BUT DO I REALLY HAVE TO SAY MORE? I JUST LOVE YOU PEOPLE.**

Chapter 14 - Surprises

Seeing Bruce's sad look hurt Tony's heart. He would definitely have to ask the Hulk to let Bruce come back pretty soon. It wasn't that Tony didn't want to spend time with Bruce; he just felt that Hulk would enjoy this more and a promise was a promise. At the last second Tony felt he had to say, "I love you, Bruce."

It still scared Stark a bit when presented with the very large green man, but he couldn't help but smile once the Hulk showed him that big grin. "Hey, big guy. How ya doin'?" He looked at his watch "Oh fuck, talk in the elevator. Natasha will only wait so long and I know you're going to want to see this."

Stark went to the team elevator, not his and Bruce's private one, and pressed the button to go to the training area. He waited for the Hulk and then looked up at him ready to hear his answer on how he was doing.

The Hulk snorted and followed the tiny Stark into the elevator. It was still way too cramped for the giant man and Tony had to back into him to fit. He did let for a growl to let Stark know that he shouldn't get too cozy there.

"Hulk fine," he grumbled not knowing what the hell was going on. He was happy to be out, and was quite ecstatic to know Banner was pouting because he couldn't play with his computer. One thing he knew was that the man would keep his promise, and he'd get out whenever he wanted. "Where we go'n?"

Stark coughed awkwardly into his hand when Hulk growled a bit. "I will expand the elevator so it's a more comfortable fit soon..."

"We're going to the training room. We're going to see a show that I think you'll enjoy a lot," Tony said with a smile that he wasn't sure if the Hulk could see it. He wasn't really sure if the Hulk knew it was him who asked Bruce to let him out or if he thought Bruce did it by mistake or to keep his promise. Tony knew he was going to have to do something special for Banner to make up for asking him to let the Hulk out so soon. He loved the man and he didn't want Bruce feeling like anything less.

Hulk let out another huff of air as acknowledgement. This was going to have to be an entertaining show. If not, he could get the Shell Head to spar with him. That would be entertaining and he gave a smile of his own at the thought of it.

Soon the elevator doors opened to see the impatient Black Widow standing in the middle of the room, looking at the elevator expectantly. She gave a disappointed look to see the two that came out and the Hulk only gave a snort to see nothing of particular interest.

"Tony, you're late. I was going to start without you," Natasha said obviously not happy that it had taken the man so long to get down there. She had no idea why the Hulk was here, but if Tony wasn't freaking out or anything, then she was just going to take it in stride.

"I know, I know. Sorry, Natasha. I took a long shower today since I worked up a sweat with the Serpent Society yesterday," he lied with a small smile as he got out the elevator and walked forward enough to make sure the Hulk could get off too. "But we're here now and that's what counts. Where's the Cap?"

"He said 'watching a teammate fall at the hand of another teammate, while cross-dressing is not entertainment.' He said to call him once we're done playing dress up," Natasha said with a small smile. "Clint is late. I'm going to kick his ass extra hard for that."

"Where's goldilocks?" Hulk asked since everyone was wondering about everyone else. If there was anyone who could handle his throws and get back up it was Thor, and since everyone else there was boring he might as well get to smash someone around. "Hulk could go for a good smackdown."

The elevator doors opened right after the Hulk's statement. Everyone turned to see Clint in the outfit Natasha picked out for him. He was sporting a one piece purple and blue dress with a vee neck that went down to his navel, arm holes that went down to his waist as well to show off his sides, and then a mini skirt bottom. The man still carried his quiver on his back with his bow at hand. He kept his normal boots and bracer and stepped out of the elevator to see the audience.

Before the man could even get out, he was met with booming laughter. The Hulk clenched his stomach as he laid eyes on the man. It was priceless to see Barton in such a fabulous outfit, but there would be another touch to make it better. "BWAHAHA! Cupid, you forgot your wings," the Hulk stated in between laughing fits.

"OH COME ON! Why did you have to tell them?!" Clint yelled at Natasha while pointing at the laughing Stark and Hulk. "And watch it Jade Jaws! I'm not afraid to start going at it with you!" he stated as he walked up to the giant man with the most intimidating look he could give considering the situation.

The entirety of the situation was too much. The Hulk feel onto the floor laughing, the man was too priceless. "Ya gotta wear that, and then Hulk might just laugh myself into submission," he boomed on the floor followed by another roar of laughter.

Stark was dying laughing so hard it hurt. "N-Natasha hahaha I-I can't believe y-you picked his old uniform hahahahaha" Seeing the Hulk on the floor laughing only made Tony laugh harder. He was even beginning to cry.

"Thor's off visiting Jane, or something. He said he'd train later or he doesn't need to train I don't know I stopped listening once he said he wouldn't be here," she said obviously only caring about the spar today.

"Well, I said a dress. I never specified the type. Besides, this way it's a fair fight," she said with a smirk. The fact she was doing this as payback was obvious and she was definitely enjoying it. She walked over to the ring and jumped in. "Come on Clint, or they might think the main event is you in that dress."

"I-It was fashionable back then! And how in the HELL did you know that Shell Head?!" Clint whirled around, ready to punch the man before Romanoff called him back. He turned his flustered face around and jumped into the ring after putting down his bow and quiver. Clint put up his fists after a quick tug at the back of his skirt, not willing to flash the laughing mass behind him.

"Come on!" Clint said going for first blow as he dashed around to get her from behind.

"You were right, Tinman. This is a show," he said with a grin once he managed to stop laughing for a bit and got off the floor. "Shoulda brought popcorn."

"I have my ways, Bird Brain," he said with a smile as he walked around the ring. It took all he had not to laugh again when Clint tugged on his skirt. "JARVIS please have Dummy bring up a lot of popcorn."

"Yes, sir," JARVIS said over the sound of the fight.

"Clint I really hope you wore underwear or this will be more of a peep show rather than a sparing," Natasha said dodging the blow and moving to roundhouse kick the man.

The kick hit Clint square on the ass and pushed him into the ropes of the ring. Natasha got her answer as Barton was leaning over the edge of the ropes. There was a nice lacy black thong, his ass exposed indefinitely. He quickly pulled down the skirt and got off to charge again.

Hulk was once again on the floor laughing. Why the man would wear that type of underwear for sparring was too ridiculous. Soon enough, Dummy brought the popcorn which he took while sitting down to cram it into his mouth when he wasn't roaring in laughter.

"Dammit! I told you not to tell anyone when we were down here!" he yelled as he took another hook, trying to land it on her face. At the same time he sweep his leg, hoping that she would take the bait so he could let her fall.

Stark started laughing once again. He was grateful that he didn't have to go to such lengths to get Bruce to have sex with him. "Nice ass, Clint. Now I see why Natasha stays with you."

Natasha smiled as she ducked out the way of the fist, but feel on the floor. "What can I say Clint? I wanted to show off my property a bit," she teased as she jumped back on her hands and kangaroo kicked the man using her arms a springs to add force. "I just didn't think you'd set up such a pretty display."

"Ha ha! Enjoy the show Shell Hea-ooff!" Clint was cut off with the sudden force to the stomach, knocking the air out of him and causing him to stumble back. He went back again keeping up a fist fight where no punches landed until he managed to get ahold around her neck and got a fist to her kidney. "I didn't think you'd seriously be going through with this!"

The Hulk was enjoying himself getting to watch the puny humans throw punches at one another. The sideshow of Cupid embarrassing himself with his own ass was a plus. He kept munching on the popcorn while he chuckled at the futile endeavors of the man.

"Oh, I'm enjoying the show alright. Tell you what, I got a pole on my jet. Give a show there and I'll pay handsomely," he joked. This was just perfect. Pulling out his phone he turned on JARVIS's recording. He definitely wanted to show Bruce this later.  
Natasha gave a sharp gasp at her kidney being punched. She kicked up one of her legs hitting him in the back of the head. Catching him off guard was enough for her to slip her head out and give a rough kick to the man's back. "Well, that's just how good of a spy I am, you didn't expect it," she said making it obvious that she was proving her skills as an assassin.

"Ugh! I'm sorry! Do I get anything tonight out of doing this?" Barton whined after regaining himself after the kick. He also adjusted his skirt that had ridden up again. There was a blush on his face for having to put up with all the embarrassment. "And you better not touch me Shell Head!"  
Clint went in again, this time getting his fist caught by the assassin. She twisted it around his back where he threw his weight to make her fall back to the floor with him.  
The green giant stood up finally from his laughing fit. He tossed the empty bowl of popcorn to the side of the room and noticed Stark with his phone. The Hulk gave a smile and asked, "recording?"

"I know the rules, 'look, but don't touch," Stark teased watching the man trying to cover his shame. He looked at the Hulk. "Figured we might need something to do in case there's not enough explosions in Die Hard for you."

Natasha let out and 'oof' as they fell. She was up quickly and waited for Barton to get up. She believed in kicking a man while he was down, but not when she was just sparring with her lover. It would be a pity to break his sexy body. "Well, you did wear such a pretty thong..."

She waited until he stood before charging at him and tossing him on the floor with her legendary death thighs. She sat, hovering over the man's neck. "And you did apologize. So I suppose, maybe."

"Play it on repeat," Hulk chuckled as he kept his attention to the man getting thrown around.

"Oh my god! They're fucking recording this now too! Please can we stop!? You win!" Clint held Natasha's thighs, trying to pry her off which was the first time he had ever done so. Normally, he would be overjoyed to have the woman's legs wrapped around him, but under the circumstances he really wanted to get up and leave.

"They're recording it? Good, I want some proof to say I win," she said with a small smirk. Getting off the man, she helped him up. She gave him a small kiss before slapping his ass. "Now go dress like a man before I dump your sorry ass. I like to wear the pants in the relationship, but I like to be the woman in it too."  
Stark started laughing again, watching the two. "Don't worry, Clint. I won't put this online or anything," Stark said seriously. There were a lot of things he'd love to do to see Clint humiliated, but there were two reasons he wouldn't put it online. One, Natasha would kick his ass and two, he understood how Clint felt because Stark's own boyfriend could turn into the Hulk and beat the living shit out of him. "This will stay on JARVIS's files," he leaned over to the Hulk to say very quiet, "on repeat."

Clint yelped and quickly pulled down his skirt for the last time. He jumped out of the ring and headed to the elevator with Natasha. The man was left without any words to speak for what happened so he just went into the elevator with Widow after a hate filled glance back at the laughing spectators as the doors closed.

"Excellent," Hulk said after he busted another gut which he managed to tame after the fabulous man left. He turned to Stark, a giant smile still on his face. "That was fun. Now what?"

"Now I have something to discuss with you," Stark said seriously. "In a few days, I leave for Japan for a business meeting. I was hoping to take Bruce and the other Avengers with me and stay in China for a few days for a vacation. Because of the size of things there, I figure it will be hard for you to enjoy the vacation yourself when you're let out. So I was thinking we could stop on a more uninhabited island on the way to Japan and on the way to China for a couple days each way so you can enjoy a vacation too. However, if you don't agree, I'll go to Japan alone and I'll just fly back after my meeting. So what do you say?"

Hulk's smile quickly turned into a scowl as he let out a growl at the promise of being locked away again. The mention of Banner's name didn't help. Even with the promise to get his own time, he was still left in an angry mood.

"Hulk gonna get his own time. Hulk gonna get a month to himself when we get back," he leaned in close to Stark to make sure he got the message.

Stark sighed, making sure not to show fear. If Hulk didn't want to be feared, he had to stop purposefully intimidating his teammates. "Come on Hulk, a whole month? The vacation is only going to be two weeks and you get your own time with that. What if I promise you get time while we're in China too? I can't even make this promise on my own. I haven't even talked to Banner about it."

Tony had to think quickly. Was there anything he could do? It then hit him. He really felt stupid for not thinking of it before. "What if I got the penthouse level at the hotel so you could enjoy yourself there too? The bed _should _be big enough to for you to enjoy. I'm really trying here. I want to take Bruce on a vacation with me, but I cannot survive a month without touching him or talking to him. I made sure Bruce kept his promise today. I asked him to let you out so you could enjoy Hawkeye getting his ass kicked. Can you trust me enough to continue to make sure you get let out more and you get to enjoy yourself? Please?"

"I would appreciate seeing Tony sooner than a month later," came a voice standing behind the Hulk. The giant spun around to see someone he didn't particularly want to. It was Banner, visible once again only to himself.

"Don't care! Want a month out," Hulk yelled at the man. Bruce didn't flinch nor move away. He only looked at the green man with heavy eyes, knowing that this would become a more common occurrence: trading his life for the good of others. Banner was going to try his best to allow Stark time; the billionaire didn't know exactly what he signed up for when he agreed with the Hulk.

"Two weeks for two weeks sounds fair, doesn't it? Of course I'll still keep my promise and let you out daily afterwards. But please, let me have some time with my partner," Bruce said calmly. The doctor meant his promise. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle realizing the only promises he kept were to others and never himself.

"You'll be out for two weeks, day and night. Is it a deal?" Bruce asked staring at the giant, hoping for the answer he wanted. It didn't matter what Stark promised, Stark wasn't the one letting him out, even if he thought he was.

"Deal," he grumbled. Hulk turned around to face Stark again, a smug smile on his face. "Two weeks for two weeks. Banner offered." He ignored the rest of what the man was willing to give; he already got most of what he wanted.

"Well if that's what you two agreed on, then I have no right to say yes or no. I will say chilling with you for two weeks seems like a pretty fun thing to do," Tony meant what he said. It was fun to hang out with the Hulk, especially since they both found the lowbrow comedy funny, but it was never as good as being with Banner. But if Tony was going to be hanging out with the Hulk for two weeks straight he needed to find something out. "Hulk, do you want to be friends?"

Hulk was caught off guard by the question. He looked down at the man confused, and turned around once more. This time he headed off to the elevator as it opened for him. He crammed inside and before the doors closed on him he said, "Hulk could use more friends."

There was a smile on the giant's face and finally the doors closed, taking him up to the floor with his bedroom. There wasn't much more for the Hulk to do, he realized as he walked into his room. He wasn't in a talking mood, and surely the Shell Head would come up to bother him soon enough. With a grunt he said, "you can deal with your boyfriend."

In seconds, the giant man had lost his muscles and height and left Banner in the middle of the room, gripping onto his oversized pants. He was panting as he tried to regain himself after the transformation. It was the first time the other guy willing changed back and he was grateful. He looked at his watch to see the short time he was gone. _Thank you,_ he thought to himself.

"You owe me," he heard as a response as he looked in the mirror to see the Hulk. He disappeared just as soon as he came, leaving Banner to shake his mind back to normal.

Once he figured himself out, he realized he really needed some clothes. Bruce walked to Tony's room and back into the closet to get a proper attire. He dropped his oversized pants and picked out something to wear. He settled with yellow boxers, a matching yellow shirt, and a pair of khaki pants. He threw on the garb and picked his ID out of the giant pants to put in the new pocket. Leaving the closet, he found his glasses which he put on to go work in the lab. The physicist headed for the private elevator to bring him down to the lab so he could continue his research. He wasted time earlier; he wasn't going to waste it when he was given the chance.

Stark stood shocked. He thought the Hulk was just going to ignore him, but not only did he agree to be friends he even smiled. He sat for a while thinking of this trip. Nothing would make him happier than spending the vacation with Bruce, but he would miss Bruce for the two weeks he was without him. "JARVIS, where is the Hulk?"

"Mr. Hulk is gone, sir. Dr. Banner is here again."

"Fine, then where is Bruce?" he asked, getting irritated with his machine.

"In the gamma lab, sir." Tony sighed and went to the hidden private elevator. He went up to the lab to see Bruce working through the glass once the doors opened.

"Hey, big guy. How ya feelin'?" Tony asked walking into the area. He hoped Bruce wasn't mad at him. It was obvious he was being careful with his words. "Are you mad at me?"

"I wouldn't be here right now if I was mad at you. I'm fine, little dizzy from the transformation still," Bruce said keeping his eyes to the monitor he was playing with. His tone was uncaring, like he had better things to do. Banner had always gotten into his work like this, even though he loved the man, it helped hide his true feelings.

"I recorded Hawkeye's and Widow's spar. You know, in case you wanted to see it," he said a bit worried. Bruce always got engulfed in work, but usually he was a bit happier about it until he'd been at it for hours. By that time he was usually a bit upset he couldn't figure out what ever he was working on. "So...feel like a vacation?"

"Thanks, I think I saw my fill of their match though. From what I can remember," Bruce said still keeping to his work. He flicked around some items on the screen to get a new formula to work with. Then Stark mentioned the vacation and he cringed slightly. He took in a deep breath before starting to talk.

"It...sounds nice," he said referring to the vacation. The part after that would be torturous. He sat there quietly for a few minutes before the doctor spoke up again, his voice trailing off near the end. "I'm sorry for dealing with the other guy for you..."

"Bruce...I would love a vacation with you, but not at the price of you losing your freedom. W-what if instead we go somewhere where he can be out daily like here? Then do you have to give up two weeks of being you?" Tony asked obviously concerned. No vacation was worth losing Bruce. "The Hulk is a cool guy and I want him to enjoy himself too, but isn't there a way for you two to both enjoy life without either of you going long periods without being out?"

The physicist gave a light sigh and turned away from his work for the first time. He looked up at the desperate eyes that Tony was boring him down with and gave a weak smile. "That's not how it works Tony. It's never been like that. Don't worry; he'll still get to come out for the vacation. His vacation just gets to be extended with you, while mine is extended away from you. It'll be okay." Bruce tried to be reassuring, hoping Stark would stop giving him such a pitiful look.

"I guess, but I can't touch the Hulk," Tony said putting his hands on Bruce's shoulders, "and I sure as hell can't kiss the Hulk. The last time I asked for a hug he informed me a hug wouldn't come without my spine being broken. And I sure as hell hope he hears this next part because he left before I got to really talk to him about this. If he wants to be friends, he has to stop purposefully intimidating me. Even if he's mad he has to _talk _to me because, you of all people know Bruce, I don't play well with those who try to out temper tantrum me. Also, he has to stop getting mad every time I mention you just like you have to stop getting so depressed when I ask for him. Bruce, it doesn't mean I love you any less, it just means it's something he'd enjoy that you probably wouldn't. Hulk, you need to understand that yes, I love Bruce with all my heart and love time with him, but that doesn't mean I want to hang out with you any less. It just means that I need to be around the man I love, especially when I'm horny because, Hulk, I know you don't want to deal with that."

Tony was just venting all he had been thinking about. He felt like he was scolding children who were jealous for attention. It was obviously hard for them to share a body, but they were going to have to learn to live with it.

The longer Tony went, the more sorrowful Bruce's face noticeably became. When he was done being chastised, he looked back up with his sad eyes. He also removed Stark's hands from his shoulders and held them in his hands, the weight still too great for him. Banner let out another small sigh before he started.

"Tony...I know that. The other guy knew most of that. But, in all seriousness, this is only going to get worse. He's going to have a lot more time than I do in the future and there's no way around it. It's what he wants after so long. I just...You need to know this...I-It's if you want to still stay with me. Eventually, you'll rarely get to see me, I know it. So please...don't hurt yourself...," Bruce looked incredibly pained. It was a warning that had to be said and he knew he didn't do it justice. He really didn't want to hurt the poor man. "I-I love you Tony."

Tony's heart sank more and more as he heard Bruce's warning. This just...wasn't fair. He let the words sink in. Silent. That's what Tony was for once absolutely silent. Slowly he leaned in and kissed Bruce's forehead. "I love you too, Bruce. That's why I still want to stay with you."

His words were barely a whisper. Gently he removed his hands from Bruce's and turned. He needed to be alone. He needed to think. He needed a drink. Without another word he walked out the lab and went straight to his bedroom. "JARVIS, have Dummy bring me bring me scotch, lots of scotch."

"Sir do you really think thats-"

"Now!"

"Yes, sir." Within minutes Tony was half way through a bottle of scotch. He was going to lose Bruce, slowly but surely he was going to lose Bruce. This was not okay. They were finally happy. They were doing work all the time and having fun. Tony was even making friends with the Hulk, but now, now it meant nothing. He was going to lose everything that mattered. He chugged the last half of the bottle, before cracking open another.

"I'm so sorry," Bruce whispered as Tony left the room. It was obvious the man wanted to be alone and he couldn't blame him. He felt the same way. The physicist tried to get back into his work but the words became meaningless as his heart grew heavier. He couldn't focus on anything in the screen and decided to abandon it altogether by pushing the device away. This was his fault, and there was nothing that could shake the notion from his mind.

"Told ya-self that it was a bad decision to stay here. Regret it yet?" the Hulk appeared in the monitor at the angle he pushed it at. The creature looked smug, enjoying the drama going on.

"I knew it was a bad decision from the start," Banner said quietly. "I even told myself to leave. I promised myself that I would go. Apparently, I can't keep a promise to myself to save my life...I even packed and everything to leave this place...But he changed my mind. It was the first time I didn't feel like I was a monster. That we weren't monsters anymore...We won't be ever again. This...this really has been the greatest thing that has happened with my life. I could never regret it, despite all this pain."

The Hulk snorted at the sappy man in front of him. "You said it yourself, it's 'only going to get worse,'" he said with a smile. "Will he really stay with you?"

"Y-yes...With all this pain, with all the waiting, with all the distance, he'll still wait. Bless him. Even if I wish he wouldn't. It hurts more to know he'll go through all that for me...I've never been worth that."

"You're right, you're not."  
"Thank you...father," Bruce looked into the mirror to see Brian Banner staring at him. There was the hopelessly pained look on his face to see the man again.

"You shoulda died with that bullet in your mouth you little monster! Now you're trying to invade on others' lives. Just kill yourself, you make me sick you piece of shit!"

"I-I know...," Bruce said on the verge of tears. He pushed the monitor farther away, trying to get rid of everything in his head. "I know how you didn't want another Banner in the world, father. Maybe it would have been a better choice. But...I've lived more this last couple of months than I did my entire life...I don't want to give that up, but I will for you big guy. We're...we're heroes..."

The monitor was perpendicular to the man, he wouldn't have to see any reflections that way or himself crying. The tears had finally made its way down his face when he realized he actually became what he wanted: a hero. He could feel the presence of something much larger next to him though. It didn't say anything, only huffed air out of his nose as he looked down at the man.

"T-thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance to live, Hulk," Bruce whispered to the figured as he brushed away his tears on his sleeve.

Stark's drinking slowed as the alcohol decreased his thinking power, but every time a logical thought was able to get through he took another big gulp of scotch. Considering his normal thinking power, a lot of logical thoughts were still able to make it through. _Why? _Another gulp. _Why didn't I know this already? _Another gulp. _Why did I stop working on a cure?_ Another gulp._ This just isn't fair. _Another gulp.

"Sir," JARVIS said over Bruce. "I hate to interrupt, but at his current rate of drinking Mr. Stark is likely to either pass out and choke on his own vomit or suffer from alcohol poisoning," JARVIS used to go to Miss Potts about this stuff, but considering the past couple months, Dr. Banner was calculated as a better choice.

_I love him. I love him. I love him. I love him! He is my everything! _Another long drink. It had been so long since Tony had drank like this. His mind was swimming. His stomach felt awful, but he couldn't stop. It comforted him. Now instead of thinking about how unfair it was, all he could think about was how much he absolutely loved this man that had been tossed into his life by an alien attack.

"I love him," Tony whispered before falling to the floor. One and a half bottles of scotch was too much even for his tolerance.

Bruce's head shot up to the ceiling when he heard the computer's warning. Everything else in the room disappeared, his visions stopped. All he could think about whether or not Tony was alright. The doctor ran to the elevator and impatiently waited for it to get back up to the bedroom. He dashed out as soon as the doors opened to find Stark on the floor unconscious.  
"T-Tony!" Bruce yelled as fresh tears ran down his cheeks. He fell to the floor next to the man to try and felt his pulse. The doctor looked down on the ground around Stark to find an empty bottle and a half empty bottle of scotch. "Still there...Oh god, Tony please...J-just hang in there..."

With great difficulty, Banner managed to find the strength to pick up the larger man and at least get him onto the bed. He laid him on his side and brushed his hair softly, kissing his forehead lightly.

"J-JARVIS how long was he passed out before I got here?"

"Not even a minute, sir."

Bruce nodded despairingly. He sat down on the edge of the bed where he placed the man and could only cry at the sight. Banner felt like he was going to be sick. Once again, he caused the man such pain. This time it could have been deadly and it still could be. The small man fumbled for his ID card in his pocket and pressed a button on the device to call everyone.

"A-Avengers, p-please...help...Tony...Tony's drunken himself unconscious with a bottle and half of scotch. W-we need to get him to a hospital," the doctor said frantically in between fits where he couldn't breathe.

"On our way," came from Hawkeye. Soon Hawkeye, Widow and Cap came to the entrance of the room to find Stark on the bed and Bruce fidgeting anxiously next to him.

"H-help," Bruce whispered as he jumped off the bed to do anything possible for the man.

"How the hell did he do this?!" Steve asked picking the man up and tossing him over his shoulder in case he puked. It was better for it to go down his back than for Stark to choke on it. Carrying him down to the car quickly, he wished Thor was here. They'd get to the hospital much faster. He put the man in the back seat of one of his sports cars.

"Cap, better let me drive, Bruce sit in back with Stark and make sure to keep him on his side. If he wakes up it's better in your lap than if in Clint's or Steve's," she said getting in the driver's seat. She waited for the other two to get in to speed off into the street, heading for the hospital. She wasn't sure who was more likely to puke Rogers or Stark.

Bruce nodded, very disoriented from the whole situation. He got in the back seat with Stark, letting the man's head rest on him. The entire time, he tried to calm himself down so he could at least be useful rather than the twitchy mess he currently was.

Steve quickly got in the other side of the back seat since Clint took shotgun to be with Natasha. Soon they all speed off the in woman's crazy driving. Bruce kept an arm around Stark to keep him from moving around too much.

"Alright, so what in the hell happened up there?" Barton asked since Cap had been ignored the first time to scramble downstairs.

"I-I was in the lab while Tony was in his room. JARVIS told me what he was doing while I was down there and I ran to the elevator to find him on the floor pass out. I-I panicked and now we're here..." Bruce stuttered looking down at Stark, tears building up again in his eyes.

Natasha saw the upset man in the rearview mirror. She glared at Clint. "Clint, leave him alone right now." Her tone softened as she spoke to Bruce. "Don't worry, Bruce. He'll be fine. This isn't the first time he's drank himself sick." She left out the part that he had never made himself pass out before, but that was for the best.

Cap helped keep Tony still with one hand and patted Bruce's shoulder with the other. Usually, seeing the two be so lustfully affectionate made him sick, but this was different. There was nothing but pure love and concern in Bruce's eyes. Cap hadn't even seen that in a lot normal marriages. "Stark is too much of a pain in the ass to die. Fools don't die."

"Settle, Tasha. Just needed to get the rundown on the situation," Clint said trying to defend himself. He turned around to see the men in the back and gave a smile. "Sorry. It'll be okay. Like Cap said, Shell Head came back from the dead already; a little alcohol is nothing in comparison."

Bruce nodded gratefully, happy to have so much support behind him. It was surprising to see the Captain so accepting. Maybe his idol was finally transitioning to the modern time, but he didn't dwell on it. They soon arrived at the hospital to have everyone filed out of the car.

"T-Thank you everyone," Bruce said with the utmost respect for everyone there.

Tony woke up to see a bright light that just caused his splitting headache to get worse. Once his eyes adjusted, he looked around the room to see he was attached to machines. "T-the hospital? H-how did I get here? What happened?" Tony's questions were more said out loud to get them out his head than to anyone in the room. He closed his eyes after seeing the machines he was attached to. The light was too much to handle.

The Cap and Natasha were out in the waiting room a bit worried. The doctor had said that he'd let them know when Tony woke. He didn't want more than one person in the room while he rested. Natasha knew how much Tony drank, it seemed like this was taking too long.

Bruce sprung up out of his chair when he heard the man's voice. The doctor of course told him not to worry, that he'd be fine, but there was no way to stop him from caring about the man on the hospital bed. Wanting to be cautious for Tony's own sake, Bruce quietly walked over and placed a hand over the man's eyes. The light was obviously bugging the man and he didn't know how bad of a hangover he would possibly have currently.

"It's alright. Everything's alright now. You're in the hospital...You passed out after a drinking binge...Thank god you're safe," Banner leaned to give the man a kiss on his forehead and brushed his hair with the other hand.

Stark couldn't help but smile when he felt Bruce's hand over his eyes and his lips on his forehead. _I was binge drinking? Why was I binge drinking? I haven't had more than a glass or two for months. Why was I- _ His smile soon faded as he remembered what had set him off. Slowly the tears he had been trying to keep away finally began to fall. "Bruce...I'm sorry. I-I just didn't want to think about it and I..."

Stark was rambling it was obvious what he did to keep himself from thinking. "I love you, Bruce."

"Shh...It's okay. It's okay. I love you too. So much," Bruce kissed the man again, this time lightly on the lips. He took his hand off Tony's eyes to wipe away the man's tears and to get a better look at him. His own eyes were becoming glossy as he watched the billionaire.

"I-I'm so sorry, I caused all this. I-I just needed to let you know...But Tony...please don't scare me like that again...," the doctor asked as he stroked Stark's cheek. Bruce had only spoken a little of what he was feeling. He truly felt awful for what had happened, what his actions had caused Tony to do. It was all hidden behind his pained expression, not wanting to work up the man after he had just woken up after his binge.

Tony kissed the man back, wincing a bit when the added darkness was removed from his eyes. He prayed Bruce wouldn't leave. Bruce always tried to leave when something happened to Tony.

"No...You were right to tell me. If you hadn't when it finally happened, I probably would have challenged the Hulk and got myself killed instead. I promise I won't do that to you again," Tony said moving his face into the man's hand more. His head hurt too much to really open his eyes. He turned his head to face where Bruce's voice was coming from. "Bruce, please don't leave. The last time you felt you hurt me you packed and tried to leave when I wasn't looking. Please don't leave."

Bruce put his hand back down on Tony's face. There was obvious discomfort without it and he didn't want the poor man to strain himself too much in his current state. He was glad to hear that Stark wouldn't go and purposely hurt himself again. Then another somber expression took Banner's face when Stark mentioned him leaving. In the hours of waiting for the man to wake up, it did cross his mind that, maybe, his absence would allow the billionaire to live the life he deserved. It was his last resort solution. If Tony was going to only harm himself because of him, then he would have to leave. Maybe then he could keep a promise to himself.

"I...I won't leave," Bruce said looking down at what he could see of Tony's face.

Tony relaxed a little once the light was once again completely blocked out. "Promise me. Promise me you won't leave, even if you think it will help me. Even if you think you're hurting me. Even if you think it will save my life, promise me you won't leave."

As tired as he was, it was obvious he was serious. There was nothing that would hurt him more, at least when it got to the point where he rarely saw Bruce he'd know where he was, he'd know he was okay.

"Tony...I...I don't want to leave you. I really really don't," Bruce said seriously, but not as forcefully as Stark could. He was grateful that the billionaire on the bed couldn't see his face right then and there. It was so pained and conflicted he didn't know what to do. He wanted to tell the man what he wanted to hear, but this was something he didn't want to promise to, something he didn't know if he could keep a promise to. "I love you Tony. So much."

"I love you too Bruce. More than you'll ever know." It didn't go unnoticed that Bruce didn't promise, but Tony was too tired to push it further. "Bruce, I'm tired, can we go home?"

With a small knock on the door, the Cap came in. "The doctor said he's awake. How is he?" Steve didn't know if Tony was up to talking. The sight before him made him tense up a bit, but it was nowhere near what he usually felt. "We're all kind of worried out there, can he handle more visitors?"

"Fuck, everyone else knows?" Tony sighed and gave a small smile "I'm fine, everyone else can come in. If Thor is out there he is not allowed to talk unless he knows how to whisper."

Steve nodded and waved everyone in. Natasha came in to see Bruce's hand over Tony's eyes. "Oh god, was he drinking moonshine too? Is he blind?"

"I don't know, but he owes me over a hundred bucks for all the coffee Thor went through once he got back from his visit with Jane," Hawkeye complained as he came into the room with the god who was gulping down a venti. Clint handed Stark something similar to Thor's, making sure the man had a grasp on it before he let go. "Venti decaf. Might take the edge of the hangover you probably got. By the way, Starbucks loves this big guy and Thor will you stop chugging through those!" He pointed at Thor, not really paying attention that Stark couldn't see at the moment. He handed another cup to Banner in his free hand. "Same thing. Thought it would be better to not have Jade Jaws running around the place."

"My humblest apologies Eye of the Hawk. Nay, these drinks are delicious, it is rude of me to not drink it in such a fashion," Thor whispered after finishing his drink. He seemed very excited to be back with everyone and that the man was alright. "Man of Iron! The Widow of Black taught me this fascinating way to communicate. I do find it more strenuous on my voice, but she assured me it would be a good idea after I ventured all this way to make sure your being was safe!"

Bruce gratefully accepted the drink. He normally had tea, but this would do just the same. He hadn't left the room since Tony was checked in and the doctor allowed him to stay with him. "Thank you, everyone," he said with a small smile. "And no, he's not blind yet. Just sensitive to the light and sound. Basic hangover."

Natasha let out a relieved sigh. Tony was stupid a lot of the time, but he wasn't insane. She had no idea what the man was thinking. From what she knew, his drinking had fallen down to just a glass or two in a day. Only one person in the world had _any _control over Tony, and that person was the only one that knew exactly what happened. She looked at Bruce, trying to make sure it wasn't obvious what she was thinking.  
"What? No coffee for me?" Steve asked teasing Hawkeye a bit. He was glad that Tony was going to be alright. As big a pain in the ass the man was, he was still Steve's teammate and that meant he was going to be taken care of.  
"Thanks, Clint. I really appreciate it. And I'll pay for Thor's large coffee bill," Tony said with a small chuckle. Tony raised his free hand to gently lift Bruce's hand off his eyes. He kissed the man's palm gently before releasing it so he could sit up. He slowly opened his eyes. He had the worst headache of his life, but he wanted to look at his team. He couldn't help but smile. They had all dropped what they were doing to make sure he was okay. This wasn't just a team, this was a family. "Thanks for coming guys...Sorry to scare you like that. I was just trying to prepare for the next drinking contest," he teased.

"No problem as long as I get the money by the end of the night," Clint was still making sure to be as snarky as possible. "I would have got you a coffee, Cap. Oh wait, I did. And then Thor drank it. Along with Tasha's, which I kindly gave mine up for. But Tony, if you're gonna go drinking like that again, at least be on a lower floor. It's kinda annoying having to carry you in the elevator to the garage."  
"Have I not apologized for my previous actions?!" Thor got defensive about the coffee. "You handed me the items with no further instruction. I thought you were giving me the joyous drink!"  
"I already bought you a dozen cups before that!" Clint groaned, realizing there was no use in fighting the god.  
Bruce sipped at his coffee gingerly. The way Tony fooled around talking about his actions bothered him, but he tried to hide his pained expression. _You could have died Tony..._

"Will do," Tony said sipping the coffee. It really did help take the edge off. He couldn't help but laugh as Thor and Hawkeye fought over the lost cups of coffee. "Hey guys...Can we go home now? I really miss my Egyptian cotton sheets and my bed with enough space for two." He looked pointedly at Bruce with a grin.  
The Cap blushed a bright red hearing Tony's comment. "Well, I'm going to go ask a doctor about Stark leaving," he said quickly leaving.  
Natasha shook her head with a small smile "Stark's definitely okay if he's thinking about sex already. God, Stark was your first thought after coming back from space about the next time you were going to get laid?"  
"Nope first it was 'Oh god, please say no one kissed me,' next was shawarma, then it was when I could have sex next," he said laughing. It hurt to laugh, but it was worth it.

Bruce blushed, embarrassed everyone in the room was there for that. He sighed and took another sip from his coffee. He definitely was not in the mood for sex that night, but he wanted to be with Tony. There was nothing that would make him feel safer.  
"Have fun with that Stark. Make sure you're tolerable in bed tonight," Clint snickered as he turned to Thor. "Might as well go buy the big lug another coffee before we leave. Come on, Thor."  
"WONDERFUL!" Thor boomed, forgetting the advice Romanoff had given him earlier and quickly followed Barton out the door.

"OW! INSIDE VOICE THOR!" Tony held his head with the hand that lacked coffee. It took a moment for the pain to subside. He wished he could be at home where he could control the light and sound.  
At that moment, Steve came back in. "The doctor says you're good to go. I filled out the discharge papers. He also said that you're liver must be made of steel for it to handle so much."  
"We'll go get the car. Bruce, why don't you help Tony get dressed and push his wheelchair." Natasha smiled grabbing the Cap as she walked out the door.

Bruce nodded as the two left, closing the door after them. He set his and Tony's coffee down on a table across the room and then moved to pick up the nicely folded pile of clothing by Tony's bedside and handed it to the man. The only reason it was folded to that extent was while he was panicking he decided to take it out on the clothes until they were compressed perfectly together.  
"I'm sorry," Banner whispered as he pulled at the stings on Stark's backside to get rid of the garment the hospital provided. The doctor took back the clothes as Tony freed himself from the uncomfortable piece of fabric. Since his upper body was already exposed, Bruce took Tony's shirt and placed the rest of the clothes on the bed. With the aid of the billionaire, he got the item on pretty quick. The boxers and jeans would be another story depending on how well Stark could stand up.

"There's no need to apologize, love." Stark was grateful for the help. It was much appreciated considering his low mobility. Stark managed to stand up a bit off balance. He tried to bend over to put on his boxers. Tony nearly fell over; he caught himself on the bed. "Um Bruce...I need a bit of help with my boxers and jeans...Sorry..."  
Usually, this would be the type of situation he'd try to take advantage of the situation, but considering he could barely stand on his own it probably wouldn't be a good idea to try to get a quickie in before they left.

"Of course," Bruce said rushing to the man's aid. He took the boxers from Stark and had him keep his balance on the bed as he opened the item for him to step in. They came up with relative ease and he repeated the process with the jeans before Tony passed out from exerting himself too hard. Once he was fully clothed, he took his arm to lead him to the wheelchair in the corner of the room. He let Tony lean on him all he needed as he seated him in the chair.  
"Ready?" Banner asked as he handed both of the coffees to Tony since he had no free hand to push him and carry the items.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks, babe," Tony said putting his head back and puckering his lips. Just because he was too tired to try and weasel sex out of Bruce, didn't mean he was too tired to get things like kisses from the man. Tony decided he wanted to enjoy the man for as long as he could. There was no sense in wasting the time he had with Bruce. He'd save his depressed alcoholism for when he didn't really get to see Bruce anymore. Until then, he was going to give Bruce the best time of his life. He was going to make the man see just how much Tony truly loved him, enough for him to remember when the Hulk was out for long periods of time, enough for even the Hulk to feel. That would be his revenge. He would make the Hulk feel how happy Bruce was even when hidden away.

"You're more than welcome," Bruce said leaning over to give Tony a light kiss. He brushed back his hair before moving forward. It took a while to navigate the confusing hallways of the hospital, but soon enough they were at the front where everyone else was waiting by the car.

Thor looked like he had gone through another couple of coffees as he waved at their arrival. "I SHALL MEET YOU ALL BACK AT THE TOWER MY FRIENDS!" he yelled and with a mighty swing of his hammer he was off in the sky.

Clint and Steve moved to open the door for the two and to help the man out of the chair. Natasha was already in the car, ready to go. They all piled into the car after the hospitalized man was situated. The car roared to life on the signal and off they went into the streets of Manhattan.

"I swear to god I will give anyone a thousand dollars that will put a muzzle on Thor," Tony said holding his head as he sat in the car. He leaned on Bruce's shoulder inhaling his scent. "You smell like vanilla" he whispered in the man's ear.

Steve couldn't help but smile a bit. If it put Tony more at ease, Rogers could stand to lose a bit of seriousness. "Make it ten thousand and I'll drink him so far under the table he won't be able to talk."

Natasha took it slow. She had no idea how strong Stark's stomach was at the moment, and as much fun as it was to mess with Cap, she just couldn't make Tony feel worse. Especially if her theories on why he did it were correct.

"I'd take up Cap on that offer, but I don't think I'd live to talk about it," Clint said jokingly, playing along with everyone else.

Bruce turned his head so he could whisper back at Stark after he took a sip of the coffee Stark had given him. "I would hope so, you gave me the bottles after all," the doctor said with a light smile.

Soon enough, even with Natasha's 'normal' driving, they had gotten back to the Tower relatively quick for New York standards. Everyone got out of the car and Bruce went to give Stark his hand as he got out.

Stark took his hand, accepting the help out. He gave a smile to the man which quickly disappeared as he felt the Cap lift him bridal style. "WHAT THE FUCK?!"

"Well you're obviously weak right now so why not accept the help?" Steve asked as he began walking. It felt nice to help his teammate. Until Stark wrapped his arm around his neck and blew in his ear. Steve almost dropped the man. "THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"Well, if you're going to play the hero I'm going to play the princess," Stark was laughing so hard he almost couldn't breathe, the blush on Steve's face was priceless. "Oh Captain America you're my hero," he said in a feminine voice.

"Well, I see Stark is feeling much better," Natasha said giggling a bit. It was amazing that in a situation that Stark should have been embarrassed he turned it around on Rogers. He had a real talent. A talent for being the biggest pain in the ass.

"Awww, I want in on this. Tasha, carry me to my nest, please?" Clint asked throwing himself in front of the woman ready to be caught.

Bruce laughed at the shenanigans that were taking place in front of him. He sipped at his coffee, glad to know that Tony's headache was lightening up enough for him to scream and harass the poor Captain.

Natasha sighed and lifted Clint. "Just because I kicked your ass today and Tony got it on camera," she said as she continued walking to the elevator.

Since the Captain's only response to his last thing was a light blush Tony decided to up the ante a bit. "As a reward saving me you should come to my room so we can..." Tony leaned in and whispered in the Captain's ear.

With each passing second Steve's face got redder and redder. It was obvious Stark was saying something very dirty. Why hadn't Bruce stopped him? Shouldn't he be getting jealous or something? "BRUCE, CAN'T YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT HIM?"

"Score," Hawkeye said, enjoying his free ride. He was also enjoying Stark's never ending teasing to the poor Captain and he was laughing up a good storm about it.

Bruce followed along. Seeing Cap get so flustered was pretty funny. It was obviously meant as teasing and he accepted that. There was still that playboy charisma to Stark that he liked. "Sorry Captain, if I could do anything about him, I would've gotten him fixed a while ago," Banner said with a chuckle.

Natasha couldn't help but laugh a bit at the Captain's quickly growing embarrassment. "Hey, Clint. Where's my thanks?" she asked obviously ready to take pleasure in the man playing a princess.

"Bruce, how do you put up with it? He talks so...dirty. Do you really talk to ladies like that?" Steve asked, still so red it seemed like he would explode. He was grateful once they were in the elevator.

"Well, I'm talking to you like that, aren't I?" He laughed a bit. "I'm just teasing you Cap. I really appreciate your help. If it'll make you feel better, you really can sleep in the bed with me and Bruce." He gave a big cocky grin that said he knew he was being a pain in the ass.

"Thank you my wonderful prince! I'll give ya something special tonight as a reward," Clint purred in her arms. After the crap he had to put up with today, he wanted something kinky.

"It's amazing, I know. Think I managed to learn a resistance for it. And I wouldn't suggest using that to pick up any lady with that," Bruce laughed as the Captain's face only got redder, as did his own. Soon the elevator doors opened to reveal Tony and Bruce's hall. Natasha and Clint stayed behind as they watched the rest of the party leave.

The Cap got off with Bruce and Tony, taking Stark to his bed. He put him down gently and turned to leave. This man was going to give him a heart attack. In his day, men did not make those jokes to each other. Then again, in his day, men didn't openly love other men.  
"Thanks, Cap. What? No kiss goodnight?" Tony smiled at the man this time with a warmer tone to it. He really did appreciate the help. He just didn't want to admit that he had needed help from Captain America.  
"I'm sure Bruce will give you all the goodnight kisses you want," he said leaving the room to go to his own room.  
Natasha couldn't help but give a smile to her silly ass boyfriend. "Oh yeah? Does it involve your sexy ass in a thong?"

"If it needs be," Clint said we a smug grin. Soon the Cap came back and they all went to their rooms. Cap took his, needing to settle down after Tony's embarrassment, and Natasha took Barton back to her own for some fun.  
"All better now princess?" the doctor teased looking down at the man on the bed. Bruce turned back to the Captain, giving a smile and a wave as the man left, grateful of him to drop Tony back off to the room. Banner then noticed the bottles still on the floor and picked them up to pitch them in the nearest garbage can. There was no want or desire to look at the objects after everything they went through tonight and he went to sit down on the edge of the bed with his partner.

"Why, Bruce? Don't you know the most important rule of a fairytale? All can only be righted once the princess has received a kiss from her true love. Considering Prince Charming wasn't willing to oblige..." he trailed teasing the man a bit. He must have really worried Bruce for him to so quickly throw those bottles away.  
"Bruce...I'm sorry. I promise I won't waste our time together like that anymore. I'll save the alcoholic depression for when I don't see you for long periods of time," he said this with a smile as if he was teasing, but he was deadly serious.

Bruce placed his head on of his hands once the topic went south. The fact that Stark was being open to admitting to what he would most likely do hit him square in the gut and he wanted to hide himself from view.  
"Oh god, Tony! For my sanity's sake, please, don't even joke about that. I...I don't want to be the one responsible for that. It would hurt too much," he said into his hand, the verge of possibly crying once again that day.

Tony sat up slowly to pull Bruce into his arms. "I'm sorry. I've never known how to handle situations like this without joking. I just love to hear you laugh and see you smile. I wouldn't do that too you. I wouldn't let you hurt like that again."  
He gave butterfly kisses to Bruce's neck. Tony never promised he wouldn't do it. He just said he wouldn't let Bruce hurt like that. Translation, he wouldn't let Bruce catch him. There was no way he would be able to survive long periods of time without Bruce if he was in his right state of mind. The day Bruce Banner was out of Tony's life was the day the world lost all the advantages Stark Industries had to offer.

"Tony...Thank you," Bruce turned into Stark's chest and embraced him. His warmth was what he needed right then. It was enough to push away the dismal thoughts of the future and to love what he had now. He clutched on tighter to the man, wanting him closer. Banner brushed his head against Stark's to make him look up at him. He held Tony's brown eyes with his own glossy ones and gave the man a loving kiss. When they parted he freed one on his arms so he could brush the man's stubbled cheek lightly.  
"You should get your rest," he said giving him a light kiss to his forehead.

There was nothing more calming than Bruce's kisses and his embrace. Tony wanted nothing more than to just rest with Bruce a while and talk. Tony laid down pulling Bruce with him gently. "Bruce...I know what's really going to happen, but...can we just talk about the future as if it wasn't? Talk about it like things would happen as they are now where you and the Hulk divide time evenly? I just...I just want to pretend for a little while. So..can we...please?"

Tony's voice was weak in his pleading, but that didn't hide the emotion behind them. All he wanted was Bruce and he was willing to give anything for him.

"Yes...Of course," Bruce said trying to make anything better for the man. He tried to smile, something to reassure Tony, but it looked forced and fidgety like he would break down again. It was going to hurt to pretend that everything was alright, like it would ever possibly be alright. That and the guilt for everything being entirely Bruce's fault, he wanted nothing more than just to apologize endlessly. The doctor pulled Tony's head into his chest and brushed it lightly, resting his own head on top.  
"Tony...Tony I know you hate it when I apologize, but please let me tell you how sorry I am for everything," Banner whispered as he held Stark closer in his arms.

Tony watched the man closely seeing his reaction. As much as he wanted to pretend, he didn't want to put the man through any more pain. He snuggled into the man's chest enjoying the heat that radiated off of him. "Bruce...are you trying to make me cry again? Because I really don't want to."  
He smiled a bit, kissing Bruce's chest gently. Once again, he was trying to solve his issues with a joke, but it was all he knew. He laid silent for a moment before saying, "If you really want to apologize then go ahead. Get it all out your system because when you're done I'm going to tell you why you didn't need to apologize for any of it."

Bruce shook his head, letting out a small sigh in the process. With a light kiss to Stark's forehead he said, "I figured that would be the case...I'll save it for another time then."  
The doctor crawled out from his position with Tony and got off the bed. He started unbuttoning his shirt and left the article hanging off of his slim shoulders. Next he fiddled with his trousers and ditched them on the floor. He went back over to sit on the edge of the bed where Stark was resting and patted his arm.  
"You want me to help you undress? Or are you too tired to even bother?" he asked with a small smile.

"Well if you're helping me, then I have enough energy," Tony said standing slowly. Taking off his shirt was easy enough, but his pants would take a bit more effort. "Only need help with the pants."  
It hurt to move his stomach too much and bending over wasn't really an option. "Maybe I should take up wearing looser clothes like you. It'd make stuff like this way easier."

Bruce nodded as he held Tony's back to stand him upright. He waited patiently as Tony took off his shirt and moved when he asked for assistance. The doctor unbuttoned the jeans and pulled down the pants to around the man's ankles. Banner gave Stark his shoulder so he could lean on his as he took his legs out. He did manage a chuckle at the prospect of Tony dressing like him.  
"I happen to find them more comfortable. And it helps decrease the odds of me waking up completely naked," he gave another smile as he helped Tony lay back down on the bed.

"That's a pity. I like you completely naked," Tony said with a smile as he laid back. It was times like this, when Tony was weak and wasn't worth much-other than his money-that he really saw how much he meant to his team. To Bruce. It made him truly grateful for the man.

"Bruce, you know I love you, right?" Tony asked seriously. He wanted to make sure that Bruce truly understood how much he meant. Stark would never be able to forgive himself if he only got to rarely see Bruce and the man didn't know how much he was love and wanted.

"I know...," Bruce blushed, embarrassed about what he was going to say. "I...I see it in your eyes. It's the first time I've ever seen it in anyone's'..."

He meant it. Looking at Tony was the first time he had ever seen anyone thinking of him that he wasn't a monster and that he could be loved. It was brilliant. Banner stroked Stark's hair as he went to lie down next to him, giving a sweet kiss on his cheek.

"I love you too," he whispered into his ear.

Stark blushed a bit. He didn't think he had been that expressive in his eyes, but then again Bruce was probably the only person that could see past his businessman face or his jokes. Stark moved into the touch as he felt his body relaxing more and more.

"Bruce...will it get to a point that I will never see you again?" Tony asked fearing the answer. It was a sad topic, but Stark needed to know everything that was going to happen before he could just accept it.

Bruce remained silent, his expression turning sour thinking about it. He turned on the bed so his back was against the soft surface and stared at the ceiling. He didn't want to see the pain that he'd cause Tony again.

"It...depends," he said trying to make it sound as nice and convenient as possible. The real answer was already there, but he would sugar coat it as necessary as it would be for Tony to be comfortable. "It's the other guy's call. Surely he'll give me some time for myself. You'll be with me then."

"Bruce...don't you dare leave me here alone. Since having you here I've realized this bed is too big for one," Tony said with a small smile. Stark looked Bruce in the eyes with a sober expression. "Don't lie to me, if it's yes, it's yes and I prefer to know so when that day comes I'm not waiting for the next time I might get to see you."

Tony kissed the man gingerly before looking at him seriously again. "If the Hulk will do this for me, the last time he lets you out, have him tell you it's the last time. Spend the day with me, just like every other perfect day. Cuddle me like you do every night, giving me that warmth that makes me feel safe so we can fall asleep. Then when you wake up before me, like I know you will because you always do, I want you to remove the arc reactor from my chest."

"T-Tony...I-I can't do that," Bruce said as his tears ran down his face yet again that day. There was enough blood on his hands that he had to deal with. Taking the life from the one that gave him his own would be unbearable. He took Tony's hands and turned back over to kiss the man properly. "P-please Tony...Don't do that to yourself..."

"Bruce...I know it's an unfair request. More than unfair, it's cruel. But I don't want a life without you. What will there be left to do with my life? Protect the world as Iron Man? You are my world," he said with a sad smile. "I don't mind waiting for you as long as I get to see you again, one minute, one second. It's worth waiting. And I will wait and wait and wait for the next time I see you. But don't make me wait for a day that will never come."

Tony kissed the corners of the man's eyes, trying to stop him from crying. This was more than cruel. This was the most selfish thing Tony had ever done, but he couldn't handle it. Life before Bruce came was so dull. There was no real reason to live other than to invent and what inventions could he make when drunk out of his mind. "I'd rather shrapnel enter my heart than have to face the fact you're gone."

This was all too much to handle. Bruce stared at Tony, his lip quivering at the prospect of what he had to do. _You're not only harming the man, Banner. You're killing him. You will literally be his death. Regret not leaving now you piece of shit!?_ The doctor clenched at his head, trying to make the voice go away. The fact was he would go down the road and believe it again. What it spoke was true, but he couldn't regret this. He could never regret being with the Tony Stark.

"O-okay...," he whispered, still pulling at his hair. Fresh tears fell down his cheeks as he placed his head on the man's chest. Everything seemingly unbearable.

Stark stroked the man's hair gently. It pained him to see Bruce so hurt, but this was important to him. "Thank you, Bruce. I'm so sorry to request this of you. But now I know as long as I live, I'll get to see you again."

Rubbing the man's back gently, Tony began to relax again. It wasn't long before he began to feel tired again. "I love you Bruce...What do you say if I don't have the biggest hangover in my life, we go to the lab and try to get some work done?"

"I love you too," Bruce whispered finally after loosening his grip on himself. He was breathing heavily and all the emotional stress he had that day was doing no favours for him. "I'd love to. Right now I think we could both use some rest."

He looked up at Stark with his sorrowful eyes and brushed the man's cheek again. All the life and emotions that were in his eyes would be taken away at his own hands. His body ached at the premise.

"Goodnight, Tony," he said giving the man a light kiss on the lips. Banner rolled over onto his back again and pulled Stark on top of him, wrapping his arms around him. He held onto what was dearest to him, unable to comprehend the fact that the man could be gone so instantaneously. Bruce closed his eyes as another tear escaped, rolling down his cheek slowly as he tried to sleep with his buzzing mind.

"Goodnight, Bruce." Tony listened to the man's heartbeat, allowing it to be a lullaby for him. One day, this would be gone. He wouldn't get to hear it. One day, he wouldn't get to feel his warmth or hear his voice. The most painful part of it all was Tony was going to miss Banner while he was still there. Even in the Hulk's hard gaze, Tony could still see Bruce in there. He knew Bruce was there. So close, but he couldn't touch him, or hear him, he was still so far away. Before Tony fell asleep another tear escaped his eye.


	15. Chapter 15 Plans

**Sorry for the heartache everyone 3 We love you all. And I can't believe someone recommended our fic to Geothebio! I was freaking out so much! Love you all! And don't worry, we have enough chapters to figure things out ;3**

**MARVEL AND ITS CHARACTERS ARE NOT OWN BY US, SO BUTTS. **

Chapter 15 - Plans  
Bruce awoke from a very restless night. He couldn't trick his mind into thinking that everything was alright like he normally would. This was something he accepted, but didn't want in the slightest, like everything else in his life that had gone horribly wrong. He looked down at the sleeping man and gave a sad smile. Tony look sweet and peaceful on his chest, the warmth coming off of him felt unbelievable. If he was ever going to apologize to him, without protest, it would be in his sleep.  
"I'm so sorry, Tony. Everything is my fault. Everything has been my fault. If I really never wanted to hurt you, I would have left that day when I promised myself I would. I really do wish I could control the other guy. So I wouldn't have to...to do as you wish...But Tony, even with everything I should have done to protect you, I could never say I regret it. I love you. I really do. Thank you...thank you for seeing in me what no one and myself have ever seen before. I'm forever grateful," he whispered softly looking down at the man. It still felt inadequate. Even when he was speaking to nobody, he still couldn't find the right words.

"I'm so so sorry to put you through all this...," Bruce gave the man a light kiss on his head, laying there for as long as Tony was asleep.

"You know, Bruce, payback's a bitch," Tony said his eyes still closed with a small smile. "Something I learned a while ago is not to talk to sleeping people, they might really be awake. And they tend to wait to tell you the fact only after you've already said what you didn't want them to hear."

He opened his eyes and lifted his head a bit to look into the man's eyes "I'm glad you don't regret staying with me. You did as I asked and let me protect myself. I'd say I've done a pretty good job so far. Bruce, just like you, I regret nothing. I don't regret any hug, any kiss, any word. I wouldn't change anything that has happened. You have made me a better person. You got rid of the menace to women remember? You actually made me be semi-nice to the Capsicle. You severely reduced my drinking. And no don't say last night was your fault because it wasn't. It was me being stupid. Now, can we skip the back and forth of you apologizing and me saying you have no reason to be, and get to the part where we say we love each other and share a kiss that will range from a loving peck to a hot and heavy make-out session?"

"Should've known you'd try to get me back," Bruce said with a sad smile. There was a light blush on his face to have been caught; he really didn't want the man to argue back about what he thought on this. His smile turned happier when Stark finished. This was more of the man he knew and he held him closer, giving him the loving peck he wanted.

"I don't think I could handle anything too heavy currently," he said glossy eyed. After so long of living emotionless or just hiding from the world, it was like he forgot how to control himself. He'd really have to remember how to do that. Nearly crying every time he saw Tony's face wasn't the best way to spend his limited time. It was amazing though, Tony had really changed him after their short time together and he gave another smile to that.

Tony accepted the loving kiss with a smile. "You forgot the 'I love you,' but I'll just add it to your tab." Tony wrapped his arms tighter around the man seeing his glossy eyes. He felt like crying himself, but one of them had to be strong at all times. Since Bruce took care of him last night, it was definitely Tony's turn to hide his pain and try to make Bruce smile. If he could make Bruce smile, then it was already a successful day.

"I love you," he said kissing the man's neck gently. The marks he had left faded and frankly that didn't sit well with Stark. "The hickies are gone. Guess I'll just have to wait until you're engulfed in work and leave more."

"I love you too," he said with a smile. The thought of getting marked again made a blush go across his face and if it happened while he was working he might get a tad bit angry. He was in no real mood to get too feisty with the man.

"How about you mark me with something less noticeable? I was surprised we got Steve to be so kind, I don't want to scare him off with my neck," the doctor said regaining himself slightly. There was more control in his sarcastic voice for sure.

"I'll try to come up with something a little less noticeable. But you know, Steve was only being nice because he totally wants to fondue with us," Stark said with a grin. He was grateful for the stories his father told him about Captain America. He looked up to the man, until he grew up. Then he became just like every other superhero; a story to teach kids morals. The Cap really had been a lot nicer yesterday, and Tony appreciated it greatly. He'd have to do something nice for the man. Maybe he'd buy Cap a high class hooker for him to talk to.

"Fondue? Never had it. Sounds like a good idea for team building though," Bruce said with confused look, the analogy totally slipping past his logic based head. It seemed odd to talk about bread and cheese at that moment, but he was sure the man had a nice hangover that was probably messing with him. "But you should really thank the Captain. I barely was able to get you onto the bed. He was able to run around the building with you one handed."

Tony began laughing extremely hard. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes. It was just so funny how far over Bruce's head that joke went. "B-Bruce hahaha fonduing i-is an analogy m-my father taught me hahaha for sex. I was saying he wants a threeway."

Tony's laughter only stopped when Bruce told him he should thank the Cap. He bit his lip, but nodded. "You're right, I probably would have died had he not been here to carry me. I should really do something nice for him. Well, I'll think of something."

"Take him out for fondue, I'm sure he'll appreciate it," Bruce said smile since they were on the topic. It was odd that Howard Stark would teach his kid such odd things, but then again, Tony Stark wasn't an ordinary man, nor was he when he was a kid. Plus, it wasn't like the Captain would know about the man's odd reference, so Tony could get his joke in on the man while being nice to him.

"Sounds good to me," Tony said with a smile, surprised Bruce was encouraging his teasing. Snuggling into Bruce's chest one last time, he gave the skin a light kiss before getting up to get dressed. "Well, we said we'd get work done today, didn't we?"

Bruce gave a smile and nodded. He watched the man get up and dressed himself, glad he was feeling better. "I could go for a cup of tea before we start."

The doctor got up himself and buttoned the shirt that was still draped over him. He also got on his pants that he left on the floor and put them on easily, enough time to spare to wait for Tony to finish up.

"JARVIS, please have Dummy bring a cup of tea to the Gamma Lab," he said as he slowly bent down to pull up his pants. He was still sore, but bearable.

"Yes, sir. And an espresso and an aspirin for you?"

"Yes. Thank you, JARVIS," Tony said, heading to the elevator. He held the door for Bruce with a small smile. "Do you think we should continue with the radiation treatments?"

"Probably a good idea. I would love to take some research papers in there to read," Bruce said giving a small smile back as he headed into the elevator. This really was his last hope. If he would keep his mind as the Hulk, there was the chance he wouldn't have to keep his promise to Tony. Soon enough, the doors opened to reveal the lab. Bruce spotted the monitor that he had thrown around yesterday and felt the pit in his stomach again. He walked by with a sigh and found the machine to operate the Gamma Ray Projector.

"I'm going to give myself a higher dosage than normal," Bruce said has he fiddled around with the panel after putting on his glasses that were in his pocket. He nearly doubled the last dosage, and before that they were going in small increments. The extra gamma exposure would probably affect him a lot more than normal, potentially hurt him even.

"All set," he said calmly as he grabbed the nearest papers he had been reading the day before and walked into the chamber. Securing the door, he sat down in his chair and pulled out his ID card. Stark was most likely to talk to him during this.

Tony looked around the lab confused. Before he left everything had been fine, but he was pretty sure the monitor had been straight and not thrown onto the floor. He obviously wasn't the only one failing to cope with the truth.

"Bruuuce, what are you doing?" he asked, obviously concerned. The door closed and sealed before he could really do anything. This was probably a not a good idea. Tony pulled out his card "Bruce, what the fuck do you think you're doing? That amount could hurt even you!"

"Radiation treatments. We've been doing this for about a month, I thought you'd remember it by now," Bruce said calmly ignoring Tony's warnings. He raised his shackled hand as the signal for Tony to start the flow of radiation, hopefully he would oblige considering the stakes.

"I do suggest if we talk, we keep it civil," Banner gave as a serious warning if Stark started the machine, still holding up his arm. His emotions were heightened in the Gamma Chamber and considering yesterday, anything could potentially set him off, especially under the dosage he would be at.

_God, where did he learn to be so damn snarky? _Tony eyed the machine this could really hurt the man he loved. And if he got too worked up he could Hulk out with a large amount of radiation. The Hulk would be extremely powerful and probably extremely moody. He bit his lip seeing the signal. "...I love you, Bruce. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Tony turned on the machine, ready to flip it off if there was any sign of something going wrong. This was his Bruce and he was going to keep him for as long as possible. "If you hang up on me I'm stopping the treatment." He was going to make sure he could listen for any strain in Bruce's voice.

"I love you too. No need to hang up. If I did, I'm sure you'd find a way to yell through that foot of glass and shielding," he said with a reassuring smile. Bruce had no idea what would happen under this level of radiation and he honestly wasn't too keen to find out. The machine booted up with its normal low levels of gamma radiation that slowly built. The physicist could feel the familiar sensation of his body's enlightened sense, the odd sensation of his cells taking in all the excess gamma.

Unlike normal, that feeling didn't stop there. His cells had to take in more exposure than normal and it felt like his skin was crawling, slowly and painfully contorting his body. He bit his lip and held his arms to the unpleasant sensation. His breathing had become slightly haggard without his consent, but he corrected that instantly to make sure there was no potential for a Hulk out.

"Oh, this is fun," Bruce said trying to make a joke out of the situation like Tony would, trying to make sure he didn't worry too badly over him.

"You're damn right I would," Tony said watching the man. As the radiation increased he could hear the man's breathing. He was going to turn off the machine until he heard Bruce joking. "Is it really? Maybe next time I'll join, you know, when you're not taking an obnoxious dosage."

It was obvious Tony was only going along with this because when it came to Bruce, he was a pushover. His hand visibly twitched, longing to turn off the machine so Bruce could begin his cool down process. "But since I can't do that, why don't we play our usual game? Go on, ask me anything."

He was baiting the man. By making him talk more he was going to be able to hear the strain in his voice. But if the man didn't play it would be obvious something was wrong. Tony's only fear was Bruce was very very good at hiding his emotions and pain.

"Oh, yes. You'll have fun talking about it afterwards," Bruce said with a slight twitch of his mouth. Talking was starting to hurt. But that was to be added to the list of everything else that hurt: holding his arms, moving his arms to place them on the chair, breathing, and even thinking. His body wasn't accepting all the radiation as readily as it was being thrusted into his body. The sensation of his skin moving only becoming more evident and time was becoming stretched out. _Twenty nine more minutes, Banner..._

Bruce could tell by Tony's composure that he was being tested. Stark didn't want him in here anymore than Banner wanted to be. But there was a glimmer of hope that the physicist was going to strive for. His only wish was that he would remain in control for the duration of his treatment.

"Of course," he said quickly, thankful for his years of training to keep himself together. His small timespan to recollect himself in Tony's room was enough time to allow him to sit through this emotionless, as long as he wasn't tempted to get worked up from Stark. His brain was taking longer to process any sort of question that would be acceptable and going through the list of them wasn't doing his body a favour. It felt like he was getting a migraine while there was something dancing alongside the surface of his brain. It was excruciating, but there had always been worse.

"When's your birthday? You took such care with mine it would be appropriate for me to know yours," he said trying to keep a smile despite the pain to move his muscles.

Tony watched the man closely. Something wasn't right, but Tony couldn't put his finger on it. Bruce just seemed tense. Usually, he was relaxed as hell because he was bored. But if this was what Bruce wanted, Tony would continue. _Is Bruce doing this for me? For us? Does he think it'll give him more control over the Hulk? God please, let this work. _

"April 26th," he said with a small smile as he remembered Bruce's birthday. That had been one of the best days of Tony's life. "I won't ask what you're planning, that will ruin the surprise. Bruce, what has been the best day of your life?"

Tony wanted to know how to make every day better than Bruce's answer. Make every day more special. Even if Bruce couldn't control the Hulk, Tony was going to make damn sure he was able to still feel how much Tony loved him.

"The day I first came to Stark Tower. I got my first kiss from you that night," Bruce said with a forced smile, trying his best not to grunt out the answer. He meant what he said, coming to the Tower was the best decision he had ever made, even if it would only cause heartache. The doctor was purposely covering his watch now, there was no reason to make time seem like it was going any slower as his body felt like it was starting to burn. His cells were becoming excited and it was hard to not feel the unwelcome sensation.

"Favorite colour?" the physicist stated more of a command, rather than a question. He couldn't go too deep in thought and this was something easy enough for him to ask.

"Really? I figured it would be our first date. Or the first time you successfully got off, or the first and only time we've had sex," Tony said with a smile. That kiss had been a joke, a joke that he agonized over. He had been surprised that he actually kissed a man. Amazed himself more that he liked. And most of all he had been glad it was Bruce. It would be hard to top that day.

"I like red. It's a powerful and passionate color," he said with a smile as if it was something he had thought over a lot. "How are you feeling?"

"That's two questions. Yes, really. It was a less emotional day then those that followed, but still emotional none the less and was perfect in my own sense. To the second question, I'm just peachy right now," the gamma patient said with a slight grimace, his brain throbbing for the ability to process how to be a smart ass. His body was taking a definite toll, but tried to cover it by leaning his tense back against the chair with his hand clutched at his watch.

"What was your best day and how are you feeling right now?" Bruce blurted out unable to think of anything else to ask. Everything hurt too much to think about something new.

"My best day? I'd have to say the day you told me you love me too. I was terrified you were just taking it all in stride and were going to leave," he said with a small smile. It had put his mind at ease to know the man felt the same way he did. But it opened a whole new world of worry for Stark as things with the Hulk gradually got worse.

"I'd be better if I didn't know you were lying to me about being peachy. You're very good at hiding emotions, Bruce, but your grimace gave it away," he said moving over to the machine. He was going to shut it off but stopped "Why are you doing this at such a high dose?"

"Because I don't want to _have _to keep my promise...," Bruce said through clenched teeth. He was found out. There was no point in trying to hide it at that point. There was a sadness mixed with anger, it was a question to set his emotions ablaze at his state. This was the only possible hope that the physicist could think of. Despite all the pain, he was going to tough it out as long as he could. "So don't you dare turn off that machine early!"

Bruce braved to look at his watch. _Fifteen minutes until cool down.., _he though, using his hands to grasp at the armrests. He did his ritual to try and calm himself down, something impossible to do while his cells were excited with all the gamma in his system. It felt like they were all bursting from the intake. When he got to a state where he felt like he wouldn't throw the chair in a rage if he heard the wrong answer, he asked, "Will you please not stop the treatment before the session is done...?"

"...I won't stop the session early." Tony moved away from the machine. Nothing would be helped if he caused the man to Hulk out from being pissed at Tony for stopping it. This was entirely his fault. Bruce was going through this pain because Tony was being selfish. He sat in a computer chair and put his head in his hands. "I'm so sorry, Bruce."

His words were muffled, but he was sure the man would understand them. This man loved Tony so much that he would put himself through pain so he wouldn't have to hurt him. There was fifteen minutes left. "Tell me how I can make it easier."

"Don't be sorry. I won't Hulk out and attack you," Bruce said with a smile trying to reassure the man. It hurt to see him depressed over the whole debacle, only to add to the preexisting pain that was tearing away at him. "It would be nice if yo-"

Bruce cut himself off when he noticed something odd out of the corner of his eye. He looked down at his clenching hands to see his fingers, slowly but surely, turning green and traveling up the length of his arm. The doctor went wide eyed in fear of what could possibly happen and managed to look at his watch which was way under his normal heart rate trigger of two hundred beats per minute.

"I changed my mind, Tony! Shut if off! And do it fast! Don't open the door til I say so!" Bruce said slightly panicked. This wasn't good. The dosage was too great and it was starting to induce a Hulk out. This time though, it was happening at a slower rate. "NOW!"

Tony smiled when the man mimicked his usual line. It was just like Bruce to be snarky only when Tony didn't want him to be. His head shot up when the man stopped mid-sentence. Seeing the green forming, it didn't take Stark but a second to turn off the machine. It killed Tony to have to wait. He couldn't open the door until the radiation had subsided, which meant he couldn't hold Bruce or comfort him until then either.

"Bruce, are you okay? Are you going to Hulk out?" Tony asked worried. If Bruce was going to Hulk out, Tony needed to be ready. With the increased radiation, the Hulk would be more than a little moody.

Bruce regulated his breathing, not like it was stopping the potential Hulk out before. Still, the green spread to his hands and started crawling up his arms. Even with the radiation turned off, there was still an extreme excess in his body as the probable cause for the effect. Not that Banner was thinking too hard on why it was happening. His thoughts were more along the lines of will it stop before he destroys the entire lab.

"I-I have no idea...Get ready to get that suit...," he said as a last resort. There was no telling what would possibly happen without the proper time.

The doctor's heart had started to race, but he managed to calm it slightly with the pain slowly leaving his body. The aching of every muscle fiber and cell in his body that felt like it would explode was returning to normal. Even under his green skin, within a few minutes it slowly receded, his body finally accepting all the gamma radiation within him. Bruce let out a sigh of relief as he saw the green disappear to be replaced by his own skin tone.

"I...I'm okay. Keep me in here for at least another five minutes. I don't know what will happen. Oh...and what colour are my eyes...?" Bruce asked the question afraid that he would still Hulk out.

Stark was prepared to make a mad dash for the suit. No matter what, he couldn't allow the chamber to be broken. Though his suit had a setting for anti-gamma radiation no one else had a means of protection. It would be a catastrophe if he couldn't contain the Hulk.

A smile slowly formed on his face as he saw Bruce's skin return to its normal pale color. _That crazy scientist actually managed to stop it. He better believe that he's going to get a major scolding when he's feeling better. That or I'll add a lot to his tab, his choice._

Stark leaned near the glass to look into the man's eyes. "A perfect dark brown," he said with a small smile. "Tell me now, would you like a scolding while you're cooling down or shall I just add a lot to your tab? I'll let you pick."

"Whichever you deem necessary," Bruce said, reciprocating the smile. He leaned back into the chair, allowing his eyes to rest for the time being. His body wasn't in aching pain, but the after effects of the radiation treatment were there. He was exhausted. If Stark wanted to give him an extra beating, the doctor would surely take it. All that mattered was that Tony wasn't in danger anymore, or at least for the time being.

"You seem tired, so I'll add it to your tab," Tony said looking at the exhausted man. Stark wanted nothing more than to go into the chamber and hold Bruce as he relaxed, and allow him to sleep on his chest. But the radiation prevented him from doing that. Even with a suit that could handle radiation, opening the door would allow it to travel and that would affect more than just them.

"Speaking of, I think I'll call your tab later this week. So make sure you leave a day completely open. I'm not going to go easy on you just because we've had a rough couple of days," Tony gave his usual cocky smile as he waited for the cool down period. The little time they had together wasn't going to be wasted anymore. He refused to let it.

"Well...I'm completely booked for the next month, but I think I can squeeze you in," the doctor teased after mustering some energy to sit up. The first thing he noticed was the smile on Tony's face and he was loving every second of it. It was one of his best features and he couldn't wait to give it a kiss when he got out.

"Did Dummy bring me my tea? I could really use it," Bruce gave a lopsided smile. There was still a dull pain in his stomach, having anything to calm down his insides would help.

Tony could help but give a warm smile to the man for his teasing. It was good to know he was well enough to make stupid jokes. Hearing the man's question he realized the tea really hadn't come yet. "Uhhhh, JARVIS?"

"The tea will be there in five, four, three, two-," The robot came with a tray with a teapot and two cups. "Seeing as Dr. Banner was going into the chamber, I delayed tea for thirty minutes."

"Good thinking, JARVIS," Tony said taking the tray and putting it on a lab table. He poured two cups. Though he wasn't a major tea drinker, he could put up with it to keep Bruce company, considering Bruce has drunk alcohol to keep him company.

Bruce looked down at his watch, his cool down time over. He got up, taking the research papers that he didn't get to read in hand and pocketed his ID card. There was a slight disappointment that he didn't get to do his reading, but that was quickly overtaken by the dizzy spell he got from standing up. There was definite ware on his body and he gripped at the side of the chair to see if the room would stop spinning.

The doctor rested there for a few moments before making his way to the reinforced door and unlocked the device. As soon as the door opened, he was greeted by a warming hug from Tony Stark. It felt so soothing; like the smaller man would collapse at any second if he wasn't supported by the man. And like Banner desired, he gave Stark a light and loving kiss, pulling the man closer to him by his neck with his free hand.

"What kind of tea is it?" Bruce asked with a small smile after their lips parted.

Stark's heart rested a bit as the man fell into his embrace. This was what he had wanted since the man had gone into the chamber and now he would have it. The experience was only made better when Bruce kissed him. It was obvious Bruce was weak, so naturally Stark took advantage of that to hold the man up. "It should be chrysanthemum. I had JARVIS order some."

He hadn't forgotten the man's answer when he had told him his favorite type of tea and flower. Sitting down Tony pulled Bruce gently into his lap. Lightly he stroked the man's hair and handed him a cup. "Tell me how it tastes because I'm not taking the first sip," he teased.

Bruce happily took the cup from Tony after placing his papers on the table near them, the warmth of the porcelain on his hands was already enough to make him relax. He took in the scent of the tea, it was more potent than he remembered, but he wasn't going to complain. With a hearty sip, he let the warm tea settle his internal distress and relaxed. The brand would have to have been expensive, it was one of the best cups of chrysanthemum tea he had had.

"It's delicious. But the plus is, Dummy didn't poison it," the doctor gave another smile before he took a larger sip than the first. The warmth was really helping him relax, but also making him sleepier. Banner laid back into Stark's arms and rested while he took ginger sips at his tea.

Tony watched as the man drank the tea. He could feel the man's muscles relaxing even before he laid back into his arms. Hearing the okay, Stark picked up his cup and took a sip. "YUCK! No wonder Dummy didn't mess it up, it already tastes awful!"

Stark set the cup down, shaking his head a bit. He looked around for something to wash the taste out with. Sticking his tongue out, he said with a bit of difficulty "Ewwww. JARVIS, bring me a drink to get the taste out."

"Yes, sir. It will be about five minutes."

"Five minutes?" he asked, sticking his tongue back in his mouth. The after taste was even worse. This sucked.

Bruce chuckled at how over dramatic Tony was about the whole thing. He knew the man didn't share his exact tastes, but Stark being a little kid over it was kind of cute. The doctor placed his own finished cup down to pour himself some more. He left his cup sitting there as he turned to face Stark, folding his arms around the man's neck to keep himself stable.

"One, I love this tea. Thank you. Two, occasionally your whining is cute. And three, I think I have something that could get the taste out," Banner gave a wink before pulling Stark in for a passionate kiss, allowing for the two men to explore and taste one another.

Tony accepted the kiss with just as much energy, if not more. Bruce still tasted like the tea, but since it was mixed with his own sweet taste and the fact it was Bruce's tongue, Tony had no problem putting up with the slight taste of the flower. When they parted to breathe Tony gave a smile. "I can deal with the taste if it's like that."

He leaned in and kissed Bruce again with just as much passion. This was his favorite pass time, and Bruce just kept finding ways to make it better. Once again, they parted, but this time he gave Bruce a chance to really breathe. "Thanks for getting the taste out my mouth."

"Don't mention it. Glad you're better now," Bruce said as he collected a more substantial amount of air. He had gotten better at regulating his breathing while there were in the midst of a good make out session. Something to be eternally grateful for, the last thing he needed during that time was to elevate his heart rate enough to Hulk out.

Banner went back to sipping at his replenished tea, enjoying the relaxation. He did enjoy the kiss, and after everything that had been happening, something sweet was really necessary. It amazed even himself how he could have lived so long without the feeling.

"I love you, Tony," the doctor said quietly, out of the blue.

"I love you too, Bruce," Tony said snuggling the doctor a bit. It was odd for Bruce to randomly say those words, Tony really didn't mind the reminder. "Do you want to keep working or do you want to sleep some? I know how the treatments usually take a lot out of you, but you took a lot in."

Stark should probably insist on the man going to sleep, but this was one of the few things Bruce was obstinate on. Tony stroked his hair some more. It was something to keep Bruce, as well as himself, calm. He had to admit, even though it tasted like hell, the tea smelled good and it really was a relaxing scent.

"I think you know which I would rather choose," Bruce said, finishing his tea. He placed the mug on the table before turning around to look at Tony. There was worry in his eyes, but of course, the doctor wanted to please him.

"How about a deal. I rest on a couch or bed or something while I get to finally read my papers. Sound fair?" he asked, feeling slightly selfish for wanting to push himself under the stress he had already gotten for the day.

Tony's face didn't hide the fact he was disappointed that Bruce was going to choose work. This man would work himself to death if Tony didn't distract him. It was just plain stupid. After all the stress he'd just put himself through, he was going to work. Just. Plain. Stupid.

His eyes lightened a bit when Bruce proposed a compromise. "Make it with me and you've got yourself a deal Dr. Banner." Tony rarely called Bruce Dr. Banner, but when he did it, was because it was fun. Nothing more fun than the kinky doctor situation that he could never get Bruce to play with him.

"I can live with that," Bruce said with a smile, glad he was taken up on the offer. "Shall we g-" He was cut off by his stomach making a very loud growl. The combination of it being empty and only fed tea after his body was drained of energy wasn't too pleasing. The doctor held his waist, embarrassed by the sound.

"Maybe we should get something to eat first," he said scratching his head.

Tony started chuckling a bit when he heard Bruce's stomach. It was sad that the man's digestive tract was more expressive than he was most times. But to be fair, they really hadn't eaten anything today.

"You mean edible food or Dummy's food? Because I think we still have some animal crackers and marshmallows in here. Probably graham crackers too, considering how little of those we ate," he said, still unwilling to get up and let go of the warmth on top of his lap at the moment.

"Something edible sounds delicious. Hell, having a real meal for once might do me good," he said chuckling in Tony's lap. As much as he loved sitting there, he got down off the man only to have to face the difficulty of walking in his weakened state. He caught himself on the lab table before he fell.

Banner steadied himself before attempting to walk. With a slight bow, he gestured to the door, still able to fool around. "Shall we take our leave then?"

Stark pouted a bit as the man got off his lap. That pout quickly turned into a gasp as Banner fell. Tony was out of his seat in the next second. Even with the worry, he was able to laugh at Bruce's comment. He lifted the man up, taking him to their private elevator. "Perhaps we should rest first and have breakfast in bed. I'll order in and have Dummy bring it to us. Sound fair?"

"I guess I can handle that," Bruce said, grabbing his papers before Stark carried him to the elevator. The doctor snuggled into the man's chest as he took his time getting to the room. Soon enough, Stark carefully placed Banner on the bed where the small man enjoyed its softness. It was much better than the chair in the chamber, but not as nice as sitting on Tony which was nice for the loving warmth he provided with it.

"What am I allowed to have?" he asked looking up at Tony, his eyelids heavy from the day's abuse. Bruce was hungry, luckily not as hungry as a Hulk, but he didn't want to take up too much of a bill. He was still too modest to ask for anything around Stark for he would spend a minimum of a hundred dollars on the man.

"You're allowed to have...me," Stark teased before kissing the man gently. "You can have whatever you want, Bruce. Steak, lobster, crab, or just scrambled eggs, I don't care as long as you're fed and happy. But don't worry about the food bill; feeding you is very very easy."

He kissed the man one more time before pulling up holographic menus for restaurants in the area that deliver. "Here pick which one you want and I'll order us something good."

Bruce gratefully accepted the kiss. It was light and sweet, and didn't blind him with an annoying light, the arc reactor didn't count. There was a wide array of menus floating around Banner's head, and there was no strength in him to try and sort them all out. He rolled on his side, shooing away the unwanted light.

"Pancakes. Extra syrup. I really need the sugar. And eggs. I could use the protein," Bruce said, allowing himself to demand something for a change. Not that he was demanding, he was more of just stating facts. He was still trying to keep up on how to nourish himself properly so that he could be allowed to work. He would prefer not to fall asleep in the lab again like he had done on certain occasions.

"JARVIS, you heard the man. Two orders of pancakes and an order of eggs," Tony said to the ceiling as he crawled into the bed with the man.

"Yes, sir. Dummy will bring it up in approximately fifteen minutes."

"Fifteen minutes, Bruce. You might as well start reading those reports because there's no way you're going to be able to move much while we wait," Tony said pulling the man tightly against his chest so his face was in the hollow of Bruce's neck. He knew he was close enough for the man to feel his breath on the sensitive area; he wanted to be able to have easy access because there was no way Bruce was going to be walking around without a sign the he was property of Tony Stark.

Bruce nodded and picked up his papers, reverting to his silent work protocol. The room was dimly lit for the morning, but the arc reactor in Tony's chest, even though covered by a thin tee shirt, provided the light he needed to see. The physicist gave a chuckle at how long he had been reading papers and books at the Tower and not once did he stop to think of the arc reactor as a book light. It was also disheartening now that the little device in the man's chest would be his demise and the thought quickly stopped his laughter.

The hot breath on his neck helped the doctor snap out of his spiral to depression. It was warm and loving, even causing a shiver to go up his spine. Bruce gave a smile and turned his head to kiss the man's cheek before turning his attention back to his blue-lit papers. It was over theories that others who were working with gamma radiation and since he had been out of the game for so long, catching up on his work was mandatory if he was to solve his future problems. Even the gamma pioneer had to broaden his horizons after his long period of absence.

Stark couldn't help but chuckle when he saw Bruce using the arc reactor for a reading light. A smile remained on his face when he felt Bruce press his warm lips against his cheek. After about five minutes of being good, Tony nuzzled the man's neck. He could only handle not having attention from the man for so long. Pressing kisses along Banner's neck he began sucking gently on the area. It was about time he put his name back on the man.

Knowing that Bruce would be mad if he started getting too frisky, Stark kept his hands still. Tony knew the small man had to read the documents, but that didn't mean he was going to make entirely easy. He just wasn't going to make it impossible because who could resist sexy time with Tony Stark?

The physicist was happily enjoying the silence Stark provided. It was rare he could get the man to be quiet for a minute, let alone five. If Tony was quiet, there was usually background music to accompany like a loud playing of AC/DC or Aerosmith. So far the notes he found were very basic, nothing he hadn't seen, heard, or done himself before. He didn't mind the small kisses as he continued to read, but let out a small gasp when his neck started to get sucked at.

"Tony...," he gave the man a warning, but it was mixed with a moan so it sounded like an awkward threat. Banner would move away if he didn't stop, the only obstacle would be Tony's strong arms holding him close.

"Yes, Bruce?" he asked before returning to the spot. There was no way Bruce was getting out of this after the shit he pulled earlier. Tony wasn't going to stop just because the physicist wanted to get work done. If he really wanted to get work done, then he should be able to deal with Tony's playing around. "I'm just putting my name on you again, since it seems to have faded." Tony smiled a bit as he untucked Bruce's shirt.

"If you really wanted to make sure I wouldn't do this, then you could always get a 'Stark Industries' tattoo. I think right here would work," he said moving a hand under Bruce's shirt to go across the small of his back. It would be amusing to see Bruce's reaction to Tony suggesting he get a tramp stamp.

"I'm pretty sure you'd rather have it say along the lines of 'Property of Stark Industries'," Bruce said with a sigh, pinching his brow. Tony's hand felt nice on his back along with the last wave of pleasure from the man claiming him, sending another shiver to go up his spine. At the rate Stark usually took things, there would be no way to continue his research and that wouldn't fly over too well with the scientist, especially considering his limited amount of time.

"And I honestly don't know which is worse. I don't think it would be good for your company if the other guy was seen around with a tramp stamp of your name on it. Probably bad for business." Banner tried to pull away, only to have the one arm around him hold him back. Normally, even the small man would be able to move Stark under those conditions, but considering how tired the little doctor was he wasn't going to try and fight him off. "I'm not allowed to leave, am I?"

"To be honest, I'd prefer it to say 'Property of Tony Stark', that way I'm the sole shareholder," he said moving on to a different spot on the man's neck to play with. He was surprised Bruce didn't stutter and freak like he normally did when Tony said something outrageous.

"No, you're never allowed to leave. You're stuck with me," he teased pulling the man closer with the arm he still had around him. His other arm kept brushing the small of the man's back gently as if imagining the tattoo was there. "What's the likelihood of getting to at least fool around today?"

"Tony...," Bruce said somberly, the heavy look in his eyes only becoming more apparent. He was able to keep his calm by trying to work, it was the only thing allowing him to focus and keep his mind off the outrageousness of the other man. The doctor placed his papers down on the bed and turned around to look at Tony. As much as he would love to fool around with Tony, he didn't know how much time he had left and he would prefer to spend it working. It hurt him slightly to make the decision, and of course felt guilty for chipping out Stark from getting what he wanted.

"Not likely," he whispered with a sad smile, giving the billionaire a light kiss on the lips.

Tony would have done what he usually did, which was basically just take what he wanted. But seeing Bruce's eyes, he sighed and moved his hand from under Bruce's shirt to wrap back around him. "The food will be here in about five more minutes."

It was obvious he was sulking a bit, but he didn't want to make the man mad. He kissed the top of Bruce's head and smiled. "I'll go back to being a reading light now."

"I'm sorry...," Banner whispered into Stark's ear as he gave the man a loving hug. He stroked Tony's hair a little before turning back over to continue his readings. He felt extremely selfish for having to ask Tony to stop, but he felt it important enough to do. The gamma scientist picked up the papers he placed on the bed to continue reading with the help of his warm book light. In a few minutes, JARVIS piped up from the ceiling.

"The delivery boy his here, sir."

"You don't need to apologize. We're scientists, we should be working," he said as he gave the doctor a ginger kiss to the temple. He stroked the man's hair gently. "I love your work ethic."

Hearing JARVIS's warning, Tony got out of the bed and moved to the front door. He got the food before going back up and placing it on one of the desks. Sitting in a chair, he separated their food with a small smile. As much as he wanted to fool around, he knew Banner was more than correct. They needed to find new ways.

Bruce gave a small smile to the complement. He was normally told that he worked too much or too hard back when he had a real job, but it lead to results. Results not completely in his favour, but none the less, he wouldn't be here without it.

The doctor reluctantly gave up his light in the exchange for food, continuing his research in the duration he was gone. _Nothing that would help...,_ he thought skimming through the articles. He let out a sigh and placed the papers down just in time for Stark to come back into the room with the reward of food. Banner was starving, something he didn't normally admit to, but considering the near disaster that could have happened and the damage it did to him, he'd actually eat for once.

"Thank you," he said, crawling out of the bed. There was another dizzy spell as he stood up, but he managed to keep his footing and only looked disoriented for a moment. When it passed, Bruce took a chair of his own and the food that Tony handed him, entirely grateful that he would get a meal. In seconds, the normally collect doctor was chowing down, glad to have any real substance in his stomach.

"No problem," Tony said watching the man. He almost got up when Bruce looked like he was out of it, but he made it himself and Tony knew that going to his rescue all the time would probably insult Banner eventually. All the same, his eyes didn't leave Bruce until he was sure the man wouldn't fall out his seat or anything.

"Geez Bruce, calm down. I'm not going to take it away from you," Tony said a bit surprised at the man's quick eating. It was so out of character for him, but considering what happened today, Tony couldn't help but smile a bit. He ate about half his meal and pushed the other half to Bruce. If Bruce was going to actually eat, Tony was going to make sure he was fed. "I'm full, finish it for me?"

"S-sorry," Bruce said after a big bite of pancake slathered in syrup. Sugar tasted heavenly and scarfing it down came with the reward of being fed and to get back to his work faster. Banner finished off his eggs as he added the pancakes to his own half eaten stack.  
"Fanks," the doctor said while eating a chunk of Stark's pancakes. He appreciated it the gesture, at the moment he could use all the energy he could get.

"No problem, love. Thank you. No use wasting money." Tony was shocked at the amount Bruce was eating. Usually Bruce just ate a little of what ever was on his plate, but now he was devouring it all. It kind of reminded Tony of the Hulk when he bought him Taco Bell. He chuckled to himself at the thought, but his smile quickly fell. _The Hulk...the man who is going to take everything from me. I won't let it happen, we will find a way to either let Bruce and the Hulk live in peace or the Hulk will be eradicated from the equation. _

Bruce finished up his meal a few minutes after Tony's last statement. Like with his work, the man liked to eat in silence. When he was done, he wiped his face with a nearby napkin, trying to remove the sticky substance that got on his face. He licked his lips then turned to Tony with a smile.  
"I...really needed that. Sorry," he said slightly embarrassed by his own appetite. Banner then noticed Tony's somber demeanor and was quick to react by blaming his own actions, causing his own smile to fade. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend..."

"Babe, there's nothing to be sorry for," Tony said with a small smile. He hated when Bruce did that. Always blaming himself anytime someone wasn't happy. It had to be stressful, and would probably be the death of the man one day. "But if you really want to make it up to me, I like kisses."  
Tony was taking advantage of Bruce being a nice guy, but it was all he could think to do to keep Bruce from asking about what he was thinking about because he honestly had no alternative answer. There wasn't many things you could you were thinking about that made you suddenly serious that wouldn't lead into a very dark conversation.

"I guess I can live with that," Bruce said, still slightly worried. Even when he was concerned, he managed to give a blush. He got out of his chair, this time able to hold his own, and leaned down to give Tony a loving kiss. There was the mix of pancakes and syrup in his taste and he wasn't going to complain.  
They parted, Banner leaving with a small smile. He went back over to the bed to rest like he promised. Picking up his papers, he fell onto the soft object, his body exhausted from the radiation and food.

Tony kissed back, smiling after. Bruce's kisses were definitely better than money. Bruce's lips were sticky and sweet and Tony felt that only added to the fun. He licked his lips as he followed Bruce to the bed. He laid down so the arc reactor would provide more light like before. He looked over Bruce's shoulder.  
"Are the reports helping at all? Are the findings more hindering?" Tony asked not sure. It wasn't the he was completely ignorant of Gamma radiation; he just hadn't studied it like Bruce had. So those small things that Tony would overlook Bruce would definitely pick up.

"Not that I'm finding currently...There's not many on gamma radiation currently. The ones that are are overseen by General Ross and his Hulk Busters. Unfortunately for me, the military isn't going to be giving me any sort of information like that any time soon," Bruce said with a sigh. In a few minutes, he had scanned through the article with nothing worth looking over, appreciating his light. He put the papers down and snuggled into the man's chest, wanting comfort after an unsuccessful search. It wasn't like he would be able to get the top secret files from the military on the possibility of creating new Hulk warriors. The files would also be on creating, nothing new on reversing. But even with the insight of the project and their data, there might be a way to save himself yet.

Tony held the man, stroking his hair a bit, knowing that this was probably what Bruce wanted at the moment. Love, comfort, they were things needed after finding nothing. The day had been a day of failures and it'd barely begun. The Hulk Busters should have been disbanded or at least told to stand down. Military files...Tony smiled, "If they won't be nice and share, we can always just take the information from them."

Tony had hacked into S.H.I.E.L.D. files before; the Hulk Busters would probably be easier. Thinking about it, they hadn't let the Hulk out that day. He was debating reminding Bruce. They made a promise to him, but it was hard to keep when they knew that the Hulk would be the end of them.

"I've done that before. Wasn't the best get away I've ever had. But then again, I wasn't really subtle about trying to get back my data. I kinda just walked into my old lab...With you there, it could be a different story... But that means I'll have to pay the dear old general a visit...," Bruce said in deep thought. There was no way he would want to face the general, not with the possibility of the man trying to possess him. Well, to really possess the other guy. Plus, there were unresolved issues that he would have to discuss about if the man brought them up. Mainly the ones that scared him were of his daughter. _Betty...How long has it been...? How worried have you been? Could Tony really make me push you out of my mind so easily...? I'm so so sorry, but this is for your best,_ the doctor thought to himself.

Banner removed himself from Stark and looked up at the ceiling. After so long of keeping her in his mind, he had been with Tony for a little over a month and rarely had he thought of her. Of course, there was no way he could be with her and this was for the better. Yet, it still hurt to realize how cruel he had been to his first love. The man took off his glasses to place them on the nightstand so he could rub his face properly, trying to rub the tired and sadness away from his face.

"I only have to sneak in the back door," Tony said with a smile ready to hack the military's computer. However, he would only do it when Bruce said it was okay to do, it was obvious there was something more there. Seeing the man's somber look Tony shifted so he was hovering over the man so he could look him in the eyes. "Bruce...What's wrong? You know General Ross can't do shit with Fury keeping you under his protection, so what's there to fear?"

"Sorry...Just thinking of an old...friend," he said with a sad smile. Bruce wrapped his arms around Tony's back, wanting to look into the man's eyes. He wanted to see the decision he made in Stark's eyes and in his heart he could feel like it was the right one, even if it would only end up hurting the both of them.

"Ross can be dealt with easy enough if you bait me with him. We'll have to get into the main Hulk Buster bases. Think you can arrange a meeting?" Banner said with a sly smile. There was no way he wanted to be bait, but if it was to piss off that general, then it would be worth it.

Tony felt that awkward twinge of jealousy that came whenever Bruce mentioned someone from his past. He didn't know why, but did drive him a little crazy. All jealousy was gone though when Bruce looked into his eyes. There was nothing but love and certainty. No regret or any sign that Bruce was reconsidering their relationship. It put Tony at ease. "I can arrange a meeting easy. I've got Ross wrapped around my pinky, if I play my cards right. When do you want the meeting?"

"I won't be able to do anything until after the vacation," Bruce said quietly. "But I'll be ready to work right after."

He gave his signature lopsided smile to try and reassure the man about his plans. If everything went well, he'd get the intel he required. The only thing in the way now was time. There would be the two week vacation and then his extended vacation thanks to the other guy. Of course he was going to miss Tony dearly and vice versa, but it would be for the best. He needed the Hulk to protect the world, not be its number one enemy.

"So a little over a month, that's when we'll set it," Tony said returning the smile. As nervous as he was about the 'vacation', as Bruce called it, he could never resist the pull on the corners of his mouth that the man's lopsided smile caused. Tony ran his hand through Bruce's hair once and kissed him gingerly.

"I should probably ask the other Avengers if they'd like to go on the vacation too, shouldn't I?" he asked this in case Bruce was willing to change his mind about the private jet. Tony really wanted to ride alone with Bruce, or as alone as possible with the staff on board. Not to mention Tony had to go do business first, meaning he wouldn't be able to babysit the others in Japan. He also had to worry about the Cap with the whole World War II thing and Pearl Harbor. Black Widow was likely to kill any man on the train who was bold enough to grab her ass. Clint was just loud and blunt, which would likely cause issues. Thor was very large and didn't understand a lot of things in English, let alone Japanese. It would be hard to control them all.

"That would be nice. Good team bonding," Bruce said with a smile. He was appreciating the hand running through his hair and the sweet, loving kisses. Wanting more, he gladly pulled Stark on top of him to feel the loving heat from his body. The man was also glad that he didn't have to worry about getting hunted down for at least a month. But speaking of getting hunted down, there was of course his promise he needed to fulfill for the day.

"I should probably go for now...," Bruce whispered quietly into Tony's ear, knowing that the man knew what he meant. He didn't want to leave his spot with the billionaire. His warmth and love was what he really needed, but the physicist couldn't break his promise.

"I don't know, I thought taking me to the hospital was a good enough team bonding exercise," he said with a small smile. As much as he didn't want to, he decided he'd invite the whole team, he just prayed that he'd be able to convince Bruce to let him leave them in first class on a plane other than his private jet.

Stark snuggled the body under him, the comforting heat relaxing him. Hearing the man's words, he nodded a bit. "You do have a promise to keep...One more kiss for the road?"

Stark had every intention of turning this kiss into at least a mini make out session, there was no way he was letting Bruce go without having his taste in his mouth. Tony smiled a bit, wondering if the Hulk could taste him after they've kissed.

"I don't think me staring at you in a hospital bed for hours on end is what I could consider team bonding," the doctor gave him a slightly worried look before dropping it. He didn't want to leave and he wasn't going to leave with the thought of his love possibly killing himself from an alcohol overdose. He smiled at the last request, happy to oblige.

"That I can deal with that," Bruce blushed, pulling Tony in for a final kiss. The man still tasted like pancake and it was, quite frankly, delicious. He held his fellow scientist close, wanting to keep the man with him as their tongues danced together in each of their mouths.

Stark was glad that he didn't have to do any persuading when it came to getting his special kiss. The sweet syrup made Tony halfway wish he still had pancakes left, but only halfway. The other half of him was glad he gave them to Bruce, because it only increased his sweet essence. When they pulled apart, Tony kissed the man's head gently. He knew he couldn't put off letting go any longer. "I love you, Bruce."

"I love you too, Tony," Bruce said with a smile, placing Stark comfortably on the bed so he could get up. He got up off the bed, forgetting his exhaustion and started to fiddle at the buttons of his shirt. Soon the article was on the floor and there was the longing to want to stay in the doctor's eyes.

"JARVIS, please deactivate the beta blockers."

"Already done, sir," the robot replied from his wrist. In an instant, Bruce's dark brown eyes turned a glowing green. His body started to grow and turn its signature green colour. The pants he was wearing started to tear, enlarging with his own body. In Tony's room stood the Hulk, cross armed with a cocky smile on his face.


	16. Chapter 16 Clairvoyance

**Sorry for the delay guys :( I just started college and these chapters are a bitch to edit! Fun as hell to write though :3 There's a lot more to come. (Around 50 chapters now which is insane, but my friend and I are such people) Thanks for the love! Sorry to leave you all in emotional disarray! D:**

**MARVEL AND ITS CHARACTERS BELONG TO THEIR RIGHTFUL OWNERS, WHICH HAPPENS TO NOT BE US. **

Chapter 16 - Clairvoyance

Stark looked at the smug green man in front of him. He felt an odd mix of hatred and sympathy. Tony continued laying in the bed looking at the place where Banner had been laying before moving to Hulk out. Bruce's scent was still there and Tony didn't intend on letting that sensation go just yet. "What's that look for?"  
He was frustrated at the giant man, but for once, he wasn't scared of him. Not one part of him felt he needed to fear the Hulk. It was probably because he was already taking away everything that made his life great, what did it matter if the Hulk simply took his life? There was no use pretending he was happy with the Hulk. Hulk knew a lot of what went on; Tony just needed to figure out what before he started talking about things. "How much do you know?"

"Happy to see things unfold Mr. Rip-My-Heart-Out," the green man gave a chuckle. That would be more than enough to answer his questions. He was liking the man more by the second. Tony's love for Banner was causing the doctor great pain and there was nothing more he could enjoy, besides smashing the shit out of the man.

"It's actually Mr. Rip-My-Arc-Reactor-Out, ripping my heart out would kill me instantly. This is much more painful," he said back with a small smile. He didn't want to bring the Hulk more joy, but this is what he did; make snappy comebacks to things. Sometimes they hurt who he was talking to. Sometimes they just made the people laugh. Getting up, Tony started making his way for the private elevator.

"All the better," he let out a laugh and turned to leave the room. There was no way for him to fit in that small elevator and there was no real desire to follow the man using it. He made his way to the main elevator. The only thing he really felt like right then was smashing. It was good to get all his hate at the man sharing his body and the only place the team would allow that would be the training room. Even the Hulk would keep his end of the bargain by being part of this team, but of course it's not like he wouldn't work out a way to make it more beneficial to himself.

Tony took the elevator to one of the less used floors. It only had a very large lounge with a couple T.V.s and a very large bar. He grabbed a glass, a two liter of coke and a bottle of rum. He sat on a sofa and made his drink. He sighed to himself. "JARVIS, play all video from the cameras starting with the first day Dr. Banner came to the tower."

If he wasn't allowed to drink himself into a coma, then he would do something else to help slow his drinking. He didn't feel like working nor socializing. He only felt like seeing Bruce.

"Training room," the Hulk grumbled to the computer he knew existed as he entered the elevator.

"Yes, sir," JARVIS said as he compiled. The elevator took the giant man to his destination. The doors opened to relieve the room already in use with the spangled man and the god using Stark's high tech simulator. It wasn't much of a simulator, all the weapons used for attacking where deathly real, the purpose of it was not to utilize the deathly features.

Thor was in the middle of reflecting a repulsor blast back at the source, destroying the weapon which was soon replaced by another one. He looked up when he heard the elevator door opening to see the giant green man. His first impression of the beast wasn't the greatest, but even he could see that there was more logic behind the man with each of his appearances and it was enough to earn his respect. That and his skills at battle matched his own.

"FRIEND! COME AND JOIN US!" he boomed with a grin as his hammer smashed down on top of a robot's head.

"Gladly, Goldilocks," the Hulk said, cracking his knuckles. He leapt into the air, smashing down on one of the droids that was sneaking up on the god.

Captain America threw his shield at the robots letting it bounce off the walls from many angles to hit many robots in one toss. Seeing the Hulk, he gave a small smile. Thor had said everything that truly needed to be said. The beast had been behaving more and more human each time Steve saw him. Soon, maybe he'd be able to go into public without people screaming. He threw his shield at a ring of robots around him. "So Hulk, what made you decide to come and train?"

After about ten minutes of training with the two, Steve realized something a bit off. If the Hulk was here, where was Tony? Tony was _always _with Bruce, even when Bruce Hulked out. _Maybe he's working on something,_ Rogers thought to himself. But after last night's episode it was a bit worrisome.

"Needed to smash something," the Hulk growled as he smashed two droids together by the head and then drove them into the ground. There was a satisfying crush that went along with each broken robot. A repulsor shot was taken at his back while enjoying himself, causing the giant man to give a roar and throw the metal in his hands at the device. The machine exploded as a repulsor blast built up and only gave the green man a grin.

"HAHA! VERILY! IT IS AN ENJOYABLE PAST TIME!" Thor yelled in his mighty voice as he brought his hammer down on another technological device. The more they destroyed, the more JARVIS was to send up to fight them which made for more interesting combat.

The Captain sighed as he broke more robots. Training wasn't supposed to be something just for fun, it was supposed to be a way to practice new techniques and improve as teammates. "We should have a team training session once a week. We should really get in sync with each other. Otherwise we're going to end up stepping all over each other one day."

"THAT IS A GOOD PLAN, ROGERS. IT WOULD SURELY BE A WORTHY INVESTMENT TO TRAIN WITH ONE ANOTHER FOR BATTLE," Thor boomed, throwing his hammer to the Hulk's side taking out one robot, soon to be replaced. He called back Mjolnir who quickly took care of the problem by destroying the new one in the back of the head while Thor gracefully caught his prized possession.

The Hulk huffed a thanks and a reply. He didn't particularly care about working with one another, but he would try to tolerate all of them unless they got in his way too much. The green man picked up another two robots, this time sending them flying to Thor who gladly bashed away at them with his hammer. Another repulsor blast to the back caused the Hulk to whirl around. There was at least ten bots and he sent them hurling with a clap of his hands, the force of the wind knocking them against the wall.

After another twenty or more robots Steve still couldn't shake the feeling of something being off. Stark had made this training simulator, but hasn't used it at all to his knowledge. It made sense since Banner didn't really need to use it that he would instead work with the man and keep him company, but when the Hulk was there, that was the time Stark should be there training with them and getting ready in case of another crisis. "Hulk, where's Stark?"

"YES, WHERE IS THE MAN OF IRON?" Thor piped up to take out another three robots in one swing. He hadn't seen Stark without his partner since he had gotten to the Tower, so there was an odd feeling without him there.

"Don't know. He went to his own elevator. Didn't feel like chasing him," the green man stated flatly as he took out more robots with a simple smack of his hand to the robot's head, smashing it into the floor.

Steve stopped. "JARVIS, shut down the simulator," he said seriously. All the robots stopped and fell to the ground. Rogers turned to the Hulk, saving his questions about Tony having his own elevator for later he looked at the man seriously. Not knowing that the Hulk was conscious most the time when Banner was out Steve felt the need to explain something. "Hulk, last night Tony had to go to the hospital after drinking too much. We don't know what set him off, but it was very very bad. It is not a good idea to leave him alone right now, especially since there's a bar on almost every floor of the Tower."

"AY, T'WAS AN UNFORTUNATE EVENT," Thor said keeping his hammer at hand, even though any threat was stopped.

"Hulk knows," the green man said with a grin, not wanting to disclose everything he knew. He threw the remains of the robot he was tearing apart across the floor. The night at the hospital was a fun time, Banner was worried sick and the pain he had earlier was priceless.

Steve's eyes narrowed at the Hulk's facial expression. "If you know, then why are you smiling? You almost lost a teammate. That is nothing to be happy about!" Rogers was pissed off. Just when he thought the Hulk was becoming more a part of the team he behaves like this. It was sickening.

Thor contemplated the possibility of why the beast would revert back to itself. Rogers getting angry over the matter didn't seem like a wise decision. He held his hammer at the ready in case a confrontation would ensue. The god was better with his actions rather than words.

"Banner's upset," Hulk said as he gave a greater smile and turned around. That statement alone was enough to make the man beam. Playing around with the two men had worked up an appetite. The prospect of getting food and ignoring the obviously enraged captain was enough for him to head to the elevator since the man killed the toys.

"Thor...Do me a favor and never leave me alone with the Hulk. I'm likely to yell at him and I'm pretty sure that will result in a fight that I won't be able to handle alone," Steve said after the Hulk left. He pinched the bridge of his nose tightly "We need to find Tony. Lord knows where he got off to without Banner here to keep him entertained."

"I SHALL DO MY BEST. AND VERILY, IT WOULD BE A WISE DECISION TO FIND THE MAN OF IRON. I STILL GIVE MY HUMBLEST APOLOGIES FOR NOT BEING HERE WHILST THERE WAS A CRISIS," Thor said scratching his beard. "BLACK MAGICAL OMNIPRESENT BEING, TELL US. WHERE BE THE MAN OF IRON?"

"The lounge on the 42nd floor," the computer told in a somewhat irritated tone for being called such an absurd name.

"THANK OF THEE! LET US HEAD FORTH ROGERS!"

The Hulk had gotten off at where the kitchen was. There was no one at the dining table to bother him as he made his way to the fridge to find some pre made sandwiches. There was half a dozen, a light snack to the giant man. He took the items and headed back to the elevator to go to his own room.

"There's no need to apologize, Thor," Rogers said as they got on the elevator. He put his hand on the Asgardian's shoulder. "You were there as fast as you could be. You were there for your teammate that's what matters." Once they got off Rogers ran to take the bottle of rum from Tony. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! After last night you're drinking like this?"

"Chill Cap, it's only my second glass in the hour and it's mainly coke. Bruce made me promise to keep my drinking down," he said, sipping from the glass in his hand. "Power off," Tony said to the TV not wanting the other two to see what he had been watching.

Thor's eyes narrowed down at the man. It was obvious there was still something troubling Stark, not that last night wasn't a big indication to the problem. The least he could do is offer anything encouraging to the man. They were, after all, partners on the battlefield. "I'VE SEEN MANY A MEN FALL TO THE TEMPTATIONS OF ALCOHOL, MY FRIEND. USUALLY DURING A PERIOD OF EXTREME TRAUMA OR SADNESS. SO TELL US, SON OF STARK, WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU?"

Stark seriously considered telling them everything. Crying on the shoulders of a super soldier and a demigod and letting them console him because he couldn't let Bruce be hurt more by his feelings. He couldn't cry in front of Bruce, and he couldn't let Bruce know that every time he thought of the man being gone from his life, he longed for a very very strong drink. "N-nothing's wrong..."

Steve couldn't believe how secretive Stark was being. Naturally, the man would have secrets, but ones that would not only harm him, but the whole team were completely different. It was obvious something was tearing him apart.

"THAT IS NOT THE FACE OF A MAN WHO WOULD TELL THE WORLD HE WAS FINE," Thor said taking Stark's chin in hand boring his eyes into the man's. He let out a sigh and took a seat to one side of Tony, placing Mjolnir at the floor between his feet. He gestured the Captain to sit at the man's other side so that a conversation might occur.

Cap sat down on Stark's other side. Usually, it was Steve's job to initiate these kind of things, but apparently Thor was going to. Then again, Steve never really was the one people went to talk to for these things He had teammates and a friend seventy years ago, but never did his one friend encounter this kind of thing.

Stark looked at them as they both sat down. It was apparent he wasn't getting out of this. He sucked down the rest of his Cuba Libre and prepared himself for the ride.

"STARK, WE DO HOPE WHATEVER THAT IS TROUBLING YOU DOES NOT INTERFERE WITH THE PROTECTION OF MIDGARD. IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO LOSE YOU, YOU HAVE A TRUSTED PLACE AT MY SIDE IN COMBAT," the Asgardian said, warming up to what he would say as he kept a comforting smile on his face.

"SINCE I'VE BEEN AT YOUR WONDERFUL CASTLE, NOT ONCE HAVE I SEEN YOU WITHOUT YOUR LOVER, AS BANNER OR AS THE GREEN ONE. WE JUST ENGAGED IN GLORIOUS BATTLE WITH THE MAN IN, WHAT'S THE WORD...'SIMULATOR'? WE MISSED YOUR COMPANY WHILST WE TRAINED TOGETHER. NEAR THE END OF OUR SESSION SOMETHING OF INTEREST HAPPENED. LITTLE DOES THE GREEN ONE TALK, BUT WHEN HE DID, HE SPOKE WITH CURIOUS STATEMENTS. WOULD YOU CARE TO ELABORATE ON THEM?" Thor asked with a hand on Stark's shoulder.

Stark couldn't help but smile as the demigod spoke. Most would be offended if someone were telling them to be careful because they were needed in battle, but coming from Thor it meant that Tony was held in very high stature. Then Thor began talking about Banner and the Hulk. He shook his head slightly "What did he say?"

Steve set the bottle of rum down. For now, Thor seemed to have this under control, but Cap knew that Stark wasn't going to open up to the blonde man. It just wasn't in his nature. He stood, leaving silently. If there was one person that would be able to get him to talk it would be the only other person here in a serious relationship. Steve went to Hawkeye's room and knocked on the door. "Clint...I need to talk to you. Now if possible."

"WE TOLD THE GREEN ONE OF YOUR MISADVENTURES THAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT AND THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT SET YOU TO SUCH A PATH. WHAT WAS CURIOUS WAS THAT HE SAID THAT HE ALREADY KNEW OF SUCH INFORMATION. HIS REACTION WAS ALSO UNCONVENTIONAL FOR HE WAS GRINNING MORE THAN I HAD SEEN THE DRUNKS IN THE DINING HALLS OF ASGARD. IT HAS BEEN NOTED THAT THE MAN HAS BECOME LESS BEAST LIKE UPON EVERY ENCOUNTER SO THIS WAS TAKEN AS VERY ODD. ROGERS PROCEEDED TO ASK WHAT WAS SO JOYOUS OF THE EVENT AND HE STATED WITH EVEN MORE GLEE THAT 'BANNER'S UPSET'. WOULD YOU PLEASE CARE TO ELABORATE ON ANY OF THIS? LIKE HOW THE GREEN ONE KNEW OF YOUR ACTIONS AND FOR WHY HE WOULD REACT IN SUCH A WAY?" Thor asked, taking a swig out of the bottle of rum on the table. Talking that much was a thirsty job, even for an Asgardian.

"I'm kinda busy. Please leave your message to the nest after the beep," Hawkeye whined sarcastically as the Cap bothered his play time with his arrows, not even bothering to open the door while up in his bed. Every so often, it was his fun to make sure he had a steady supply and to invent some new ones. Currently, he was refilling his quiver that he had emptied out at a training session this morning.

"The Hulk is conscious most the time when Banner is out. Everything Bruce experiences the Hulk knows about it. As to your second question the Hulk and Bruce fight for time out. Hulk hates Bruce. So anything that causes Bruce pain brings him joy," Tony said as if presenting a deal to a company.

"Clint, this has to be done now! Stark is sulking and frankly I'm not sure how much longer Thor can keep him preoccupied. You're the only one here that he will probably talk to, you're a spy you know how to keep a secret. I think right now that's what Stark needs; a friend that can keep a secret," Steve's voice held a large amount of concern and a small sense of urgency.

"THIS IS VERY INTERESTING, MAN OF IRON, AND COULD POSSIBLY BECOME VERY TROUBLESOME," Thor said with great interest. "IS THIS WHAT IS TROUBLING YOU?"

"Shell Head owes me still!" Clint said, recognizing the Captain's tone. He could respect that his skills were needed, and hell, he respected the snarky billionaire. If the man needed something, he'd be there. He jumped out of his nest in a swoop and opened the door. "Lead the way, Cap."

Stark looked at the man. As much as it pained him, he had to lie. There was no way of telling him only part of the truth. He nodded just a bit looking away. This would be the only way to end this conversation before it got bad. Stark grabbed the bottle of rum and took a big gulp to keep his buzz.

Steve led Clint to the elevator and down the 42nd floor. Once they were in the room Steve gestured towards Thor. "Thor, I need your help with something. Would you mind giving me a hand? "

Thor nodded and gave Stark a pat on the back. It still felt like that wasn't everything the man wanted to say, but it would have to do for now. He picked up Mjolnir from the floor and went to assist the Captain, the both of them taking their leave to the elevator.

"Thanks guys! Invited me to the pity party to be alone with Shell Head! Totally what I wanted to do right now!" Clint let out a sigh as he grabbed a glass from the bar. It was apparent from Stark's face that he was probably going to be there for a while, might as well try to have some fun with the man. Hawkeye plopped his ass down on the couch next to Tony, pouring himself his own Cuba Libre while refilling the man's. Not that it was a good idea considering yesterday, but if the man had a reason to drink so soon, might as well let him.

"Aight, so what's eat'n ya?" Barton asked, taking a big sip from his drink to start off.

_Pity party? They're bringing in Clint? Why the hell would they think I'd talk to him over either of them? _Tony picked up his refilled glass and sucked it down fast. This was going to be a long time. "Nothin'," he lied. He knew Clint wouldn't believe him but he wasn't about to just start talking about everything.

"I don't have to be a trained assassin or spy to know that you're lying through your teeth on that one," Clint said, leaning back in the couch, taking another sip of his drink. Stark was as stubborn as a mule when it came to anything. He'd have to cut him down to size before the man would start spilling out his personal life. Even though his personal life was eaten for breakfast by tabloids, there was bound to be secrets the man kept. It was also obvious that there was something bothering him, so he could continue to peck away until he got what he needed to hear.

"Besides, Mr. Spangled-Pajamas wouldn't just go running to my room asking from my help on this if there wasn't a problem. Considering your fun lil drinking binge yesterday, this must be a continuation on that. So I ask again, what's eat'n ya?"

Tony knew the man was right. There was no hiding the truth from the man, especially if Cap made him come. He decided to stir the conversation a bit maybe it would distract the assassin, "Hey Clint...How do you deal with not seeing Natasha for long periods of time when she's on a mission? How do you know to keep waiting for her to come back?"

He refilled his drink, but sipped it this time. If Barton was going to take the time to talk about his personal life, then the least Tony could do is be in a semi-normal state of mind. He was sure Clint must have some kind of secret for dealing with the absence of his lover. Tony needed to know it.

Clint ruffled his brow at the question. He wasn't expecting it to turn to his life this soon, but gave a sigh as he finished off his glass. "Ya know Stark, I highly doubt this is about my personal life. But if you want to know, I keep fighting. You don't know who's going to come back in the assassin world, but I keep waiting because I trust her. She's not gonna go down without a fight and if that's the case, it better be a damn good one. She'd like that better."

The man gave a sad smile as he refilled his drink like the alcoholic. He wanted to give some information without giving himself away, his spy intel helping him tremendously. Barton loved the women, and he did trust her. With his life. It's not like he talked about the subject much, but if telling Stark _something_ would open the man up, he'd do it.

Stark listened to the man intently as he sipped his drink. It was obvious Clint loved Natasha, but they were assassin's there was always a possibility of coming back from the supposed dead. "What would you do if you knew Natasha wasn't going to come back? No matter what either of you did, she wasn't going to come back. Hypothetically that is."

Tony was starting to give away more, but he didn't really care at the moment due to the quickly forming buzz. Not to mention Barton seemed to be someone that could understand him a bit better than Thor or Cap. Loving someone was a scary job, and if you've never done it then you wouldn't be able to understand the crazy things people do when in love.

"Have the best damn day of my life, I suppose. But Stark, why the question? That's not something people normally ask." Clint looked over to the man, actually calling him by name for the first time. He honestly didn't know what he'd do. The future wasn't his territory, the present was. But the odd question was definitely giving the man away. Something was happening with Banner that he wasn't sharing.

"T-the Hulk and Banner made a deal so that the Hulk would help us. In exchange for saving lives, the Hulk would get to come out daily..." Tony said, pausing a bit to take a big gulp. "Y-yesterday... Bruce told me eventually the Hulk would have more control. Soon I'll only get to see him rarely.." It was at that point that a tear started making its way down Tony's face. "One day, he will never be Bruce Banner again, only the Hulk all the time."

It hurt to say it out loud, it felt almost like talking it to reality. He tried to keep up a sad smile and keep the tears from falling. But even with the fake smile, the tears came quickly. His face was flush with embarrassment and his crying. He had only ever cried in front of Bruce, doing it in front of Barton was just humiliating. He waited for the man to make fun of him.

"So instead of trying to fix your problem, you decided to run away instead and drink yourself to death, hmm? I'm sure everyone was gonna appreciate that until we found ya," Barton said to let it be known how stupid the man had been. It would seem like a good reason for why the man would nearly kill himself last night. But he was surprised to see the man actually crying next to him. Stark was actually opening up to him, so it would be best not to fuck around with him too much. He placed an arm around the man's neck. Something to reassure him with without getting too touchy-feely with the Shell Head.

"So Jade Jaws is really gonna be staying for keeps then? I like the lil doc, he's a good toy to mess around with. I can see why you like him." Clint was trying to make the subject as lighthearted as possible. The last thing he really needed to Tony sobbing all over him.

"Yeah well, I needed to stop thinking and, as a genius, that's pretty hard," he said in defense. It had been a stupid thing, but he needed it. He needed to stop thinking last night otherwise he might have done much much worse. Hearing Clint's words, he smiled a bit, trying to stop the tears.

"Yeah, he's definitely one of a kind," he said his smile turning a bit warmer. He leaned into Hawkeye's touch a bit. "Sorry about the tears...I can't really help it. That's why I was alone."

"Yeah, yeah, smart guy. Killing yourself ain't gonna solve a damn thing. Thought I'd let you know that. And I don't care for the water works, but whatever you want. It's not like I'm gonna stop bugging you because of it," Clint said with a shrug from his free arm. He was trying to be half comforting and half himself. So far it was working out well for him and if he was knocking any sense into the man, it was all for the better.

"Killing myself would solve a lot, but it would only make Bruce feel worse," Tony said as the tears stopped. He leaned forward, pouring himself another Cuba Libre. "Clint, you're a spy, so you know how to keep a secret, correct?"

There was something he had been dying to tell someone. He needed to know if what he did was alright. He needed some reassurance.

Hawkeye gave the man a 'seriously' look. It was pretty insulting to have to be asked that, but he gave out a huff of air and said, "pretty sure."  
He let Tony's previous statement slide. He was positive what he was going to tell him next was a continuation on it and he didn't want to deter the man from speaking up.

"I asked for the most selfish thing of my life yesterday," Tony said, sipping his drink. He kept his eyes staring at the inactive TV as he spoke. Clint was either going to bitch him out for this or laugh in his face. Which was better? Tony really didn't know. "I asked Bruce to do something that if I were in his position I probably wouldn't be able to do. I asked him to have the Hulk tell him when it was his last day and to spend the day with me doing everything we love to do together. I asked him to fall asleep in my arms like we always do, and when he wakes up before me I..."

Tony sucked down his drink and took a breath before looking at Clint. "I asked him to remove the arc reactor from my chest."

Clint stared at the man in silence for a moment. He finished his glass like Stark and took the other man's away from him. He was starting to get a little too into his drinking while in his depression and he didn't want to be the one blamed for it once everything was said and done.  
"I don't know when you became the mad scientist, Shell Head, but I don't suggest going down that road. I'm surprised to hear you could possibly be that selfish. The poor doctor can't even hurt a fly, and then you ask him to kill his lover. You're a sick man, Stark."

Tony listened to Clint's words feeling the pain in his chest increase more and more. Considering Clint took his glass, Tony just grabbed the bottle of rum and took a long drink. He wiped his mouth and nodded. "You're right. I'm awful, and Bruce really deserves better than me. I...just didn't want to wait for a day that was never coming. A life without Bruce will be hard, but it'll be even harder waiting months for him to come back. I'd probably give up before it was his last day."

Tony slowly stood, a bit off balance from his drinks. Sulking alone was always a better idea. That way only one person was telling him how awful he was and his tears wouldn't bring on humiliation.

"Just because I take the glass away doesn't mean you should just chug the rum," Clint let out a sigh, noticing the man leaving. "But Stark, I'm sorry. I really am, and that's a lot coming from me. I can understand why you'd feel that way. Just don't forget, you have a team here. And we're all counting on you, Banner included."

Tony sighed a bit, sitting back down. "Just a couple months ago we were all strangers, working on our own projects and fighting our own demons. Now look at us all. You, Thor, and Rogers are all trying to keep me from drinking myself into a comma, I am in a relationship with the one man in the world who would prefer a mud hut to the Tower, and we all live together. It sounds like a bad sitcom."

He laughed a bit shaking his head. "Already we've had the horribly funny situations. You fighting in a dress with a thong. Once again, nice ass. The Cap almost having a heart attack over me saying a few inappropriate things. You slapping Bruce's ass right after sex for the first time, and of course the Cap, Thor and the Hulk getting into a drinking contest." He laughed a bit, but his lip quivered when he said the Hulk's name.

"Thanks, my ass appreciates the compliment. But we're all one big dysfunctional family, Shell Head" Clint beamed, grateful for the man to sit back down again, but more happy to talk about his own ass. "Can't stop that now with _your _team." Barton put emphasis on the 'your', hoping Tony would recognize that he was the start of everything. If he was gonna back out of it now, everyone else would be there to put up a fight and get him out of it.

"Well, Bird Brain. I guess you're right. We are just one crazy ass family," Tony said chuckling. The emphasis on the fact it was his team didn't go unnoticed. It was obvious Clint wasn't happy about Tony trying to make sure he was dead the second Bruce was gone. Now that he felt a bit better, Tony felt like changing the subject. Something a lot more light hearted for the situation. "I've got to ask was that your thong or Natasha's?"

"What? You asking to borrow it or something? You still owe me for all the coffee Thor went through! Go buy your own!" Clint teased at the man. It seems that Tony was feeling better enough to change the subject, so he must have gotten his issues of his chest. Plus, giving the man some hell for the day was his daily goal.

Tony reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed the man three hundred dollars. "There's the money for the coffee. I don't want to wear a thong, I just wanted to know whose it was. I hadn't expected you to be into cross dressing, but I should have guessed considering your old uniform."  
This was nice. Sitting here joking around with Clint was enough to make Tony forget his troubles for a little while. Not to mention, he couldn't talk about sex with anyone else. Nobody else in the house, other than Natasha, was probably having sex anyway. "You know what, maybe I will buy one. Where do you buy yours?"

"Pssh, buying? I stole mine out of the woman's locker room at S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Hill was pissed. And the best part, Fury still doesn't know who the culprit is," Clint gave another smile and handed back Stark's glass, refilling his and the man's drink. Since he was rewarded with extra cash, might as well give the man another drink.  
"AND my uniform was so classy back then," Barton said defensively as he drank down half his drink.

Stark began laughing at the idea of Clint stealing Agent Hill's thong. That was just wrong, but it was funny as hell. Stark took the drink happily and sipped it slowly. "How many villains did you flash? What kind of underwear did you wear with that sort of thing?"  
"Damn, you sure want to know a lot about my underwear. I'd be more flattered if you were a chick," Clint said, resting back into the couch again, chuckling at how much the man was interesting in him. "I was better at keeping the damn skirt to stay down then. It's been a while. And I wore boxer briefs if you really need to know."

"Boxer briefs seem like a good choice. If it'd really make you feel better, I can play the princess for you like I did the Cap," Tony said, laughing as he remembered the man's red face as he walked to the bedroom. It was priceless. "I can't believe how red he got. That was hilarious."

Clint chuckled at the prospect. "I think Tasha would kill me before she let that happen. But Mr. Spangled-Pajamas' reaction was fantastic."  
Hawkeye turned his head to see Stark laughing. At least he wasn't in the mood to drink himself to death at the moment, which would be considered a job well done in his books about the situation. He gave the man a pat on the back while he took another swig at his drink. "Glad to have the snarky Stark back."

"Yeah, well, it's hard to keep him away when given such good material to work with," he said, smiling a bit. "Thanks, Clint. You're the only one that can understand the fear that comes from watching your love knowingly go into a situation they might not come back from."  
He ruffled the man's hair before standing. Pulling out his ID he contacted all the Avengers at once. "I have something to discuss with you all if you'll meet me in the conference room."  
He out the ID card back in his pocket and waved for Clint to follow, "Come on, Bird Brain. You're going to like this."

"Should I bring popcorn or a tissue box?" Hawkeye gave a smile as he followed the man. His ID card went off as well and he punched the thing before he had to hear Stark's voice in stereo. He followed Tony into the elevator and away they went to be first in the top floor of the building.  
Hulk was watching TV in his room while he laid on the bed. The sandwiches he got earlier devoured a long while ago. The problem with the TV was that the remote was not very Hulk-friendly, and resulted in being dust on the floor as the green man barked orders at JARVIS when he needed the channel changed.  
A familiar voice rang from his pocket and he let out a grunt. There wasn't much else to do and this would most likely be entertaining. He gave a smile and jumped off the bed and headed towards the occupied elevator, waiting impatiently if it was to arrive full.  
Thor took out his ID and looked at the Captain he was still accompanying. There was worry about Stark still and his meeting might inform them more on what they wanted to here. "SHALL WE?" he asked Rogers.

"Of course," Rogers said with a small smile that didn't hide his concern for the metal avenger.

Natasha sighed and got off her bed to go to the meeting room. She was quickly in the meeting room in case something was going horribly wrong.

Stark didn't answer Clint's question as he got into the elevator. Once in the room, he sat at the table in his seat waiting. Once everyone was there, he stood and gave a small smile, "Well, kids. Mom and dad are taking you on a family vacation."

"Score! Do I get a raise in my allowance too?" Clint said sarcastically, just wanting another excuse to get money out of the man. Arrows aren't cheap, especially the ones that explode on command.

Thor gave a pleased smile. There was still much to be learned of Midgardian culture he had to learn. The only thing keeping him down was his worry about the man.

Hulk gave a grunt at the 'mom' comment. It was obvious who he was referring to and it wasn't making him overjoyed. What would was the deal he got with Banner on his time. He gave a smile at the thought, and then a greater one at the future where he was soon to get longer time out.

"Where to, Papa?" Natasha said with a small smile. It was amusing that Tony saw himself as the father of the group.

Steve pouted a bit, he was the oldest, so didn't that mean he should be the father? Or at least he shouldn't be a kid, maybe an uncle or something. He sighed shaking his head.

"Well I have a business meeting in Japan, and then we hit China. Everyone will have their own room in the penthouse except obvious people," he said this looking at Clint and Natasha. "We leave in about two days. So yeah, pack your bags because we're going for two weeks. And Clint you can have a raise in your allowance once you become my personal bartender."

"Ah hell no! You'd work me ragged," Barton said pouting.

"SO WHAT IS THIS JAPAN AND CHINA? ARE THEY KINGDOMS IN YOUR REALM?" Thor asked in curiosity of the land. The Midgardians were so odd culture wise, it was unbelievable sometimes.

Hulk kept to himself, happy to hear Stark was keeping his plans. He laxed in his chair, keeping his grin on his face as he looked up at the ceiling.

"I definitely want to go to Japan. I heard the war took a toll on them once I was gone," Steve said, feeling a bit sad. He enlisted to stop the Nazis, not kill innocents. America and Japan were in a fight and the small nation never gave up, Rogers could respect that.

"This would be a great chance to practice my language skills, maybe pay a visit to some old 'friends'," Natasha said making it obvious these were friends the team was not to ask about.

"It's kind of like that, Thor," Tony responded to the Asgardian before he continued "I'm glad you're all on board. So who's going to pitch in some money?" Tony was joking, but he wanted to see who would help and who would just take advantage of the fact he was a billionaire.

"Well, considering how any money I get from S.H.I.E.L.D. goes to arrows or food, I got noth'n," Barton said, shrugging. There was no way in hell he could afford this sort of trip.

"FASCINATING! I HAVE STILL YET TO ADAPT TO YOUR FORM OF CURRENCY, SON OF STARK. THE NEXT TIME I RETURN TO ASGARD, I WILL BE SURE TO BRING YOU SOMETHING OF VALUE," Thor said proudly, willing to contribute whatever he had.

The green man next to Tony gave a laugh. If the man didn't know he had nothing of value on his except that watch and ID then he was sorely mistaken. The only money Banner had was the remains of his barely livable conditions in Calcutta. Anything sellable would be the gun he kept in his dresser that disturbed the Hulk for Banner keeping the thing. He didn't appreciate getting to come out just to spit out bullets.

"Well...I do have some money that S.H.I.E.L.D provides me with, but I don't know if it'll pay for a trip..." Steve said a bit embarrassed at his lack of means. He ran a hand through his hair. "Guess I'll just have to sit this one out..."

Natasha shook her head. She got plenty of money from S.H.I.E.L.D. but that was none of Tony's business. There was no way she'd let him know how much she made for her jobs and frankly trying to pay for a trip might send red flags to the man.

Tony smiled at them shaking his head "I'm just messing around. Parents don't make their kids pay to go on a family vacation. Of course I'm covering you guys, I just wanted to see who would offer some money or just assume that since I'm the billionaire I should pay.

"Or you just wanted to flaunt the fact that most of us didn't have the funds for this," Hawkeye instigated, wanting nothing more than to bother the man currently.

"COVERING? ARE WE BEING ATTACKED?" Thor readied his hammer for any threat, but was quickly given the signal to settle down from Widow.

The Hulk was enjoying the show. This was more interesting than what was on TV by a long shot.

"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't, but the end result is still the same," Tony said obviously not wanting to start a battle. He could handle being snarky around Clint when they were alone, but at the moment the source of all his pain was sitting in the room smiling. "Well, that was all I had to say. So anyone have anything they want to talk about before we go back to doing whatever we were doing?"

Steve debated discussing Tony's drinking accident, but it seemed like it would just make things worse. Clint seemed to have done a good job of putting Tony in a better mood; now all he had to do was find out what set the man off in the first place.

Natasha shook her head at the men with a small smile. They were amusing, even Thor. She was looking forward to this, some quality time with Clint, maybe kicking some mob bosses asses while she was at it. It would be a fun trip.

"I think we're done here. Thanks, Shell Head," Hawkeye said, rising from his chair to leave. Tony already made a breakthrough talking to him, but since the man's problem was sitting right next to him, it was better not to touch any topic about the two.

Thor took both hints from Rogers and Barton to keep quiet. He nodded and started to follow Clint to his room. "I THANK OF THEE , SON OF STARK, FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN MORE OF YOUR REALM. SURELY IT WILL BE A JOYOUS TIME!"

"Can't wait," Hulk said smugly, staying in his chair. The show was over and now it was time to find something else to play with. Of course, he would have to wait until everyone else left. The elevator could barely accommodate him and Stark together, let alone four others.

Stark let everyone else leave, still sitting in his chair next to the Hulk. He was silent until he was sure they were gone. The smug look on the man's face only made Tony feel more upset. He could understand the Hulk wanting to be out more and have full control, but to get pleasure out the pain it caused was another thing. Tony looked straight forward as he spoke, "I'm having the elevator made larger while we're on vacation."

"Appreciate it. Too cramped," Hulk said, waving his large hand. He sat there listening to the man's voice, not bothering to leave just yet. There was definitely a hurt tone behind it and if Stark was getting worked up just by his presence, then Banner would be having it a hell of a lot worse.

"Is there anything else you need changed? A bigger bed? Clothes?" Tony was trying to stick to what he said. The Hulk was a member of this team and even though the Hulk didn't treat him as such, Tony wanted to make sure he treated all the members of his team right. However, there was no hiding the pain he felt just from being around the green man.

Rogers followed Clint off the elevator and into his room. Closing the door behind them, Steve looked at the man "So did he talk to you?"

"Is this an actual offer, or are ya playing games for now?" Hulk asked with a chuckle. The pain behind the man's voice was very apparent, and everything he said sounded forced. Even the giant could pick up on it easily.

Clint looked down from the nest which he easily climbed up to. "Not smart to follow an assassin to his lair, Cap. Might bite you in the ass one day," he started off nonchalant.

"But yes, and the Shell Head has some serious problems."

"You're my teammate. Of course it's a real offer. Just like all my other teammates I want you to feel as at home as possible. So if there's anything you need, please feel free to ask me," Tony managed to keep all tears out his eyes a steady voice. He felt as if he was betraying Bruce, but it still had to be done. He made a promise to take care of his team and he was going to keep it.

"I'll take my chances," Rogers said with a small chuckle. His small smile fell when he heard that Tony had 'serious problems'. "What's the matter? Anything we can help him with?"

"Need more food here," Hulk snorted as he stood up from his chair. Stark was starting to bore him as he purposely avoided looking at him. It was getting rather annoying and the next instinct was to smash the problem away. But, for the time being, he'd follow the rules.

"Don't think so. This is a problem with the doc and Jade Jaws. The big guy wants more time and he's gonna take everything he can get and apparently that means that Banner gets none in the near future," Clint told the man seriously. It was always a shame to lose a partner, but this one was being taken away and there was nothing anyone on the team could do to help.

"Alright. I'll put a fridge or two in your room and I'll do my best to keep it stocked. Anything else?" Tony never thought he'd be able to stare at a wall willingly for so long, but somehow he was doing it. It was better than looking at the cause of all his pain at the moment. Better than watching himself lay down and make the man's stay more comfy.

"Wait? Bruce won't be let out? Bruce _knew _what set Tony off and he didn't tell us? What are we going to do Clint?"

"More time," the green man said firmly as he walked into the elevator, watching the back of the man's head as the doors closed to take him to his room.

"Nothing we can do until Jade Jaws lets the man out again. Hell, I don't even know what we can do when he gets back. I don't know when he'll stop being let out, and Stark's taking it hard. He's suicidal about it. Doc had to have known, but can you blame him for wanting to keep it a secret? He gets embarrassed and depressed enough talking about Jade Jaws, you think he wants to leave?" Clint asked rhetorically. He purposely left out the extra part of the conversation where he said he'd leave secret. There was enough respect for Tony to humour the man on his wish.

Tony went to his hidden private elevator, and took it down to the Gamma lab. If he wasn't allowed to drink until he couldn't think, then he'd think hard about something else. He got on the computer and began doing work if there was a hint of hope he'd explore it. He also began setting up a program for next month. Not only would he take the Hulkbuster's data, he'd set up a virus to wipe out their computers. There was no way he was going to let someone else feel the pain Bruce was now.

"Suicidal? H-He can't be. He's Tony Stark. Just like his dad, he crooks his finger and he can have anyone he wants. He's a billionaire. He's a hero. How in the world can he be suicidal over a man?" Steve had never gotten a chance to dance with the woman he had been in love with. Now she was too old to really do much of anything. Steve had to deal with the fact that every day he should be with her the same way, but he didn't try to off himself. Stark had a responsibility to the world. And just like Steve he'd have to deal with the lifelong pains that most people were allowed to escape from.

The Hulk laid back onto his bed after the short elevator ride. He was back to watching TV and isolating himself, just enjoying having the sensation of his body and not being hidden away. Eventually he'd get his way. More time, less Banner. He didn't care what he had to do in order to get that wish to become a reality.

"Doesn't matter. He doesn't care. All he wants is the doc and he doesn't want to wait for what will never come," Clint stated. "I already gave my two cents on the topic. I was just there to spy. But if you want to give him a smack down to get some sense in the man, then be my guest."

Once he finished working on the program, Tony decided he had about three options: get stinking drunk, go to lay in bed for a sleepless night, or go talk to the Hulk. Considering he was still buzzed from before, he decided to go talk to the Hulk. Going to the Hulk's room, he knocked on the door gently before opening it only enough for the Hulk to see who it was.

"I think that would be counterproductive. You and Banner are the only ones that can really talk sense into that man." Steve sighed. "He did seem better after talking to you, thank you."

Hulk turned his head to the door to see the Iron Avenger standing outside of it. He let out a snort, wondering what the hell he was going to try and got out of the bed to look down at the man after opening the door. "What is it?" he grumbled, bothered he got out of bed for a silent man.

"Ya owe me," Clint said, turning around to go back to hiding in his nest. He picked up the arrows he was playing with before he was interrupted the first time by the old man.

"I...wanted to talk..." he said, not sure how to phrase the fact that they really needed to talk right then and there without actually telling the large green man what to do. It was becoming an art. "About the future. There are some things that need to be sorted out."

"Already know you can't handle it," Hulk stated flatly. It wasn't his job to deal with the emotional man. That was Banner's territory. He starred Tony down, it didn't seem like he'd be going away soon.

"That's not what I came here for. I can understand your want to be out all the time. Somehow I could forgive you for taking Bruce away like that because everyone wants freedom. But what I can't stand is that smug smile you get every time you know I'm in pain because of it. I thought you wanted to be friends. As a friend, I wouldn't ask you to stop trying to have your life, just like I would expect as a friend you would at least feel a slight twinge of guilt knowing that you have to destroy mine in the process! Why the hell are you so happy about our pain? You're going to get what you want so why in the fuck do you have to make it even harder?!" Tony was pissed and it was obvious tears stung in the corner of his eyes that he refused to let fall. He didn't want to give the man the satisfaction of seeing him cry again.

Hulk furrowed his brow at the tone the little man was using. His words didn't help either and he wanted to smash the man into the ground. The only thing stopping him was Banner, his arm froze as he swung it, hitting only the door frame. There was no way the doctor would allow him to harm the man, and he could feel his presence holding him back.

"Hulk was made long before incident. Always there in the back of Banner's mind, never let out, no physical form. When I could, after the gamma, he still tried to keep me away! Why create anything just to suppress it?! Hulk HATE Banner. He used me to keep his emotions, why not show them? Nothing brings more pain to Banner than seeing you suffer. Hulk didn't know that til yesterday. If Hulk really had his way, Banner would be DEAD and then Hulk can stop wondering when would be his next chance to live," he roared at the man, his hand gripping at the broken door frame, unable to move any farther.

Stark didn't even jump when the man grabbed the door frame. What could he do now that would be worse than what Tony wasn't doing to himself? Tony couldn't believe what he was hearing. The Hulk was created before the incident? It was easy to understand the Hulk's feelings. Just like Tony didn't want to wait and wonder when he got to see Bruce next, the Hulk didn't want to wonder when he got to live next. "If I really had my way, you two wouldn't have to share anymore. I know how you feel Hulk, because that's the exact same way I feel about Bruce leaving. That's why I can't hate you. No matter how hard I try, I can't hate you. Do you hate me?"

The green man simmered down slightly hearing Tony's words. He removed his giant hand off the frame which he nearly crushed completely and placed it back at his side. He thought about it whether or not he actually liked the man. Stark was the first one to be nice to him, the Hulk, the monster. Yet there was Banner's feelings for the man that would appear in his head that made him want to punch him, just to give the doctor hell.

"No," Hulk grumbled. "Tinman just in Hulk's way." Tony was the only reason why Bruce refused to leave entirely currently. So he was the obstacle keeping him from his freedom. Normally, he would just take out the middleman, but there was Bruce in his mind, stopping him from even thinking of the possibility. There was also a charm he could see from the man, and he was unsure if it was Banner's feelings or his own. The giant man grabbed his head in his confusion and let out a loud groan. His thoughts conflicted by that of the other man inside him that were never this strong before.

Tony couldn't help but smile that the big man didn't hate him. It was odd, but it made Tony happy. It would have just made things worse if the Hulk hated him and he didn't hate the Hulk. His expression soon turned to one of concern when the Hulk groaned holding his head. "You okay, big guy?"

He amazed himself. As pissed off at the Hulk he was not five minutes ago, he was constantly worried about him as soon as he showed some type of pain. "If you've got a headache I can get you a cool damp cloth and some aspirin or something."

"LEAVE HULK ALONE," the giant screamed, clutching to his head talking to Banner wherever he was. He looked back into the room to see the man on the bed, sitting quietly, patiently playing with his hands. "What did you do?! Why can't Hulk differentiate-"

"Your feelings?" Bruce finished his sentence for the raging man, speaking calmly. "I honestly would like to know too. But you keep trying to harm Tony, and that's not part of the deal, big guy. I won't let you."

"Hulk doesn't care! Get out of my head!" Hulk yelled at the figure only visible to himself. He drew his hands away from his head and readied to attack the man on the bed.

"I'm sorry, but I'm getting the hang of this. You're never to harm Tony, or the other Avengers. I won't let you, no matter what. They're your friends. You even just admitted to being Tony's." Bruce gave a smile.

"Because of you!" The Hulk started charging for the man.

"Only because you had the thoughts yourself. I'm just amplifying them. Those gamma treatments really are helping. Don't get too angry now, I'd prefer if you didn't break my room," Banner said calmly right before he took a giant green fist to the face. It passed right through him, disappearing for he was never truly there. The Hulk continued and dove into the bed, causing the thing to split in half. The beast let out a roar and climbed out of the wreckage, panting as his anger boiled down.

Tony watched as the Hulk fought with the air. It was probably Bruce, but this seemed different, usually Hulk was calm and smug when talking to Banner. This, this was just so different. Bruce was really egging on the green man from the looks of it. Then the beast charged and before Tony could get a word out the bed was destroyed. Tony sighed, shaking his head. "Hulk, I have another room with a bed just as big just next door. You're welcome to use that room while I get your bed fixed."

Going over to the bed, he looked at the pieces "What the fuck, Bruce? What did you say?!" he said to himself a bit irritated. This bed was special; this was where they first really began their relationship. "Bruce, I hope you know you're paying for this one! And don't you dare think I'm going to let you out of it by saying 'the Hulk broke it' because I know you egged him on."

Hulk stomped out, not wanting to be in Banner's room any longer. He clutched his head and gave another roar as he entered a new place to stay.  
"I asked you not to break my room," Bruce said quietly in the corner when the Hulk whirled around to find him. It was obvious this man wasn't going to leave him alone anytime soon.  
"What do you want?! Hulk didn't touch Tinman!" he said, his rage easily displayed. The last thing he wanted to see was the doctor.  
"I wanted to say I'm sorry. I was listening. I can hear and see everything a lot more clearly now. I know I created you, and I'm sorry. I thought I was solving my problems and I wasn't. Then you really manifested, and everything was disastrous. I thought you were a monster and I ran. I ran away from you and the world. But I came to realize, you weren't a monster. You can be good. I know you can. You've shown it. So I wanted to say I was sorry. I'm really sorry. You have the right to be out more. And I'll let you. Just give me my time too."  
The Hulk let out another yell and threw the nearest dresser at the corner where the man was, once it got to dealing with time the doctor crossed the line. If Banner wasn't going to leave him alone, then he'll make him leave him alone. The green giant sat on the new bed and tried to collect his thoughts, trying to push the man as far away as possible.

Stark heard the roars and crashing. Apparently Bruce hadn't been done with the Hulk. He sighed deciding to let them sort it out. It wasn't like he could do much. Though, if the Hulk were to get too angry, like any normal human, his decisions probably wouldn't be as rational. And they weren't that rational to begin with. Once again, he sighed as he went to the elevator. Going into a large freezer, he grabbed a gallon of ice cream. He made himself a bowl, grabbing a normal spoon and a serving spoon he went to the Hulk's room. "Hey, big guy, I brought ice cream."

The Hulk took the item, not acknowledging the fact Stark brought it. Tony sat down on the bed with him, a good distance away so he wouldn't invade the Hulk's personal bubble. In a minute, the carton was empty and the giant tossed it into the pile of broken wood. He was trying to keep Banner's voice out of his mind, but to no avail. Normally, he would easily dominate the small passive voice of the man, but it was different. Bruce was actually defending something for once and the small man was damn sure he'd stand up for it.  
"He won't shut up," the green man growled. There was the need to tear apart the Tower to see if that would make the noise stop, but the doctor wouldn't allow it.  
"You're really persistent on the time issue. I can't just make you change your mind. You have to be willing...," Bruce whispered quietly. He was seated in between the two men, like a mediator for two kids who had gotten into a fight.  
"You're not getting it," the big guy stated, his eyes burning with how he wanted to just stay there without the man nagging at him. He didn't bother to shoo the man away, it would just be a futile effort. The two other warnings made that clear.

"Yeah, well, when I have that issue with him I just kiss him or do something inappropriate. So, yeah, good luck," Tony said, taking a bite of his ice cream. After a few seconds, he sighed. It was obviously really really bothering the Hulk to have to hear it. "What's he saying? Maybe I can help."

Hulk just growled at Tony's comments. He didn't want to be the spokesperson for the man next to him. He didn't even like to talk as it is.  
"I know, but I would like to. I would also like to talk to Tony, if you don't mind. He seems very willing to chat with the both of us currently," Bruce gave a small smile, his hands playing with themselves on his lap.  
"Don't care, not gonna," Hulk huffed, trying to ignore both men. He was very rigid, trying to keep his own mind while he could feel Banner's presence all too clearly. The sensation was sickening; nothing like the green man had ever gotten before.  
Bruce just let out a sigh. Even with the newfound control, the Hulk still had more. It was simply amazing how that much of himself was more dominant than the rest of him.

Sensing that this wasn't going to get better, Tony smiled at the Hulk. "Want to watch the video Hawkeye getting his ass kicked? I think it'll put us all in a better mood." Tony wanted to put Hulk in a better mood. When Hulk was in a bad mood, Bruce probably was too. Considering that usually when Hulk was mad, he smashed. It amazed him that he wasn't doing that right now.

Hulk continued to growl, but gave a nod with his large head to signal his approval. There was nothing better to do and at least the white noise could drown out Banner from his thoughts. If this was going to continue, he'd have to leave to go back to the training room. As much as he just felt like destroying this room and every other in the Tower, the doctor had a good grasp on the giant and wouldn't allow for it. His want to break the place diminished greatly, unable to control his thoughts.  
Bruce remained quiet for a bit while the clip started. He looked at Tony longingly, wanting to really be in the man's presence, his thoughts loud and clear in the Hulk's mind.  
"My time," he grumbled, the doctor not evening having to speak his intentions. Time was still his control. The doctor didn't know how to revert back without his consent, willingly or unintentionally.

Tony had a small smile as he watched the video again. It was just as funny the second time. Though there was a desire to be holding Bruce at the moment, Bruce must have been feeling the same considering what the Hulk had just said.  
"Hulk, I'm sorry..." he said quietly. They were infringing on the Hulk's time and it was hard not to want Bruce back. The men fought for life, a tradeoff between each other and Tony was trying to be loyal to both of them.

"Why, Tinman?" Hulk said, honestly surprised to hear the man speak up with an apology none the less. He knew Stark would rather have his partner than himself. Apologizing for the Hulk taking away his lover was enough to confuse the green man.

"For infringing on your time. It's hard not to want Bruce around, and I know he pesters you about being out too. It's selfish and unfair, so I'm sorry," he said turning to look at the green man when he said the apology a second time.

Both Bruce and Hulk pulled their attention away from the screen to look at Tony at the same time. The doctor gave a sad smile and nodded, disappearing from view and his presence less noticeable in the giant's head. The green man let out a sigh of relief as he could hear and remember his own thoughts.  
"Thanks," he mumbled, turning back to the TV. Even if he didn't like Tony because of Bruce, he had to admit, he gave him a better living than without him. The fact that he actually cared for him, not just the doctor, that was something otherworldly so he'd at least give the man some gratitude.

"Hulk, have you ever had feelings for someone? Anyone I mean. Be it a small crush or lust. I'm just kind of curious. Also it'd be interesting to know what type of person the Hulk would like," Tony gave a smile. If he could talk to Clint about this kind of stuff, maybe the Hulk would enjoy talking about it too. It'd be nice to have another guy friend he could talk to about the type of things that he wouldn't dare bring up around Bruce.

"Betty...," Hulk mumbled to himself, not even realizing he said it unintentionally. Even if it was Bruce's old love, she was able to calm him down without thinking. She was someone where their feelings were mutual on the subject.

"Who's Betty? What's she like?" he asked, wanting to know all about the one person in the world that had caught the Hulk's eye. She had to be something special if she had managed that.

"Smart, soft, nice, pretty," Hulk listed off, still not thinking. Was that what Banner always said? He couldn't remember, even with the most of the fog from the doctor having cleared from his mind. A sudden realization occurred to him, he was talking about his feelings again. It felt odd. But the subject was a nice one. It was one where the people from the same body shared. It was also something that the green man could use against the physicist.  
"Betty worked with Banner. Banner likes Betty," Hulk said with a smile, keeping it hidden from Stark. It was surely to stir up some trouble for the man that wouldn't stop bothering him earlier.

Tony listened with a smile trying to get the image in his head of the woman the Hulk was describing. His smile quickly left once the Hulk said that Banner 'likes' Betty. "He does? It's nice for Banner to like someone, because he loves me."  
Though he was saying this, he didn't believe it. Tony knew little of Bruce's life before coming to the Tower, only what the man had told him. It was possible there was a woman that Bruce had liked. Maybe even loved. If it was the accident that kept her away, then that meant that Bruce probably still loved her. "Seems like you were quite taken with her too."

Hulk let out a snort. Sure he could like the girl, but she was in love with Banner, not him. He was just the accident that prevented them from being together. Not that he didn't enjoy the doctor having to give up that life to make the man suffer more.  
"She wants Banner, not me. Wouldn't care as much if it didn't piss off the general," he let out a growl at the thought of the man. The one who constantly tried to detain him, suppress him, and try to make more of him. And that wasn't on the Hulk's priority list.

"Why would it piss off the general?" He asked, a little confused. What did this woman have to do with the man that was hunting the Hulk. Was this why Bruce wanted to go straight to the general's lab instead of just letting Tony try to hack it? "Well...Bruce is allowed to have ex-girlfriends, lord knows I've had a lot..."

"General Ross didn't like Banner before the incident. He was too friendly with his daughter, Betty Ross," Hulk let out a chuckle. The physicist sure knew how to make powerful enemies, even if it was unintentionally.

"I see. Well that would explain General Ross's need to catch Banner. I thought it was odd," he said with a small smile. It made sense now. Tony had to ask the Hulk a question he wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer to. "Does he still feel the same way about her?"  
Though he tried to hide it, Tony's eyes held all the vulnerability he felt at that moment. Right then he needed a friend that would be honest with him and reassure him when this type of thing happened.

"Always," Hulk said, turning his attention back to the TV screen. There was the gratification of knowing that Stark would explode at Bruce later and Banner was probably overseeing everything so he knew that there was already resentment for telling Tony about his feelings without his consent. So everything would be right with the world.

"I see..." Tony couldn't really help himself. It was painful to know that someone still held the doctor's heart. Getting up, he moved to the lounge bar and grabbed two bottles of tequila. He handed one to the Hulk and popped open his own bottle. "Cheers." He took a big gulp barely grimacing to at the taste.

"Didn't have enough to drink yesterday?" Hulk said with a laugh. This man was obviously hurt, and instead of asking for his toy, he chooses to solve his problems through alcohol. He gladly took the bottle and chugged the liquid down easily.

"Guess not," he said, drinking more of the awful tasting liquid. It was the only things keeping him from talking to the Hulk. He knew the Hulk liked to say things just to hurt him, but he honestly believed the man. "You still saying things just to hurt me?"

"Not my fault if the truth hurts." He shrugged. Just like everything else, he tossed the empty bottle into the corner of trashed dresser. Laying down on the bed, he looked at the back of the man's head as he continued his binging. There was a huff of air that came out of his nose as he disapproved of the man's actions. There was still the part of Bruce that was telling him to make Stark stop.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," he said, sipping the bottle slower as he felt a buzz coming on. The tequila was hitting him fast. He looked at the Hulk and sighed. "You know you're a good friend sometimes," he said with slightly slurred words. Obviously, he was still a bit buzzed form before, and now he was heading to full on drunk.

"And you're drunk. Go to bed, Tinman. If you pass out here, you won't like where you wake up next. If you wake up that is," Hulk grumbled, looking up at the ceiling. He had no intentions of dealing with the drunk man. Plus, there was no respect once he got to that point. Banner and the Hulk shared few views in the same light, but drunks were on the list of 'don't want'.

"I'm not drunk yet, just really really buzzed. Besides, I'd figure you'd like to see me drunk. I mean, it is me damaging my body and making a fool of myself. Maybe even killing myself. I'm sure you'd love that," he said taking another sip.

Hulk let out a low growl. He could feel Banner's presence becoming more and more apparent. It was obvious he wanted him to stop Stark. Getting the giant to help would be another story.  
"Please? It's bothering us both. Just take away his drink. Maybe get him to his room. Please, big guy." Bruce asked, whispering in his head. He let out a groan and rose off the bed. He took the man's drink and finished it himself, throwing the bottle across the room. Hulk looked down, furrowing his brow at the man. He was definitely getting sassed at, but if the drunk man was brave enough, then have at it. He'd only get hurt. But that wasn't what Banner wanted.  
"You owe me," Hulk said to Bruce, even though he wasn't even present for himself. He picked up Stark by the waist and threw him over his shoulder as he started to leave the room. "And not today, Tinman."  
He took Tony to his room and dropped him on his bed, despite whatever protest he was giving. The green man looked down at the puny guy, he already gave an order before and he wasn't going to repeat it. He turned around and started to leave for his new room.

Tony groaned a bit when the Hulk took his drink and gave an 'oof' when he was tossed over the man's shoulder. Though he was dancing on the line of extremely buzzed and a little drunk he knew not to let his curiosity get the best of him, so he didn't touch the Hulk more than what was needed. As soon as he was on the mattress, he smiled loving the how soft it felt. Seeing the Hulk leave, he reached his hand out to catch the Hulk's large one. "I'm glad you exist."

The contact felt odd. Little was Banner touched, let alone the Hulk. The sensation was weird, but warming, causing the giant to loosen up slightly. His tough expression softened, a smile hiding at the corner of the man's mouth. Even if Stark was drunk, his complement was enough to bring the smile on the man's face. Not that he'd let him see it, there was still his tough demeanor to keep up.  
"You're insanely drunk," Hulk said, trying to brush it off. He took his hand back as he went to his own room to lay down yet again. The day had been long and he was tired enough to try and sleep. Unfortunately, that was his way of ending his time and after a few minutes of deep sleep, his body returned to its normal size, revealing Banner half naked in the partially destroyed room.

Tony watched the Hulk leave, his mind processing things only half as fast as usual. He had meant what he said, if the Hulk never existed, Betty would have Bruce and Tony would not only be out a boyfriend and he'd be out a friend too. He'd have to try and remember to talk to Bruce about Betty. His eyes and body felt heavy. As soon as he laid down, he was in a deep sleep.


	17. Chapter 17 Promises?

**And here's a second update for the night to keep you alive and sane! :D**

**DON'T OWN MARVEL. NOR CHARACTERS. WE APOLOGIZE FOR OUR PITIFUL EXISTENCE. **

Chapter 17 - Promises?  
Bruce woke up early as usual. The room wasn't his own, but he remembered where he was from watching the Hulk. He got out of the bed, clutching onto his enlarged pants to see the destruction around the room and gave a sigh. He had tried his best to make sure the other guy was less destructive, but he had pushed him too much.  
He went to his Tony's room and discarded his attire. There was a small smile on his lips as he watched Tony sleep. Bruce had slept a lot more than he normally would, yet there was still the faint tiredness from yesterday so a quick shower was in order to wake up. It felt lonely without Stark in there with him, but after his drunken escapades, he was sure the man could use more sleep. Banner barely dried off as he changed into some suitable clothes, trying to be as quiet as possible. His supply was dwindling fast, but he picked out his purple shirt and a pair of grey bottoms. Along with a random pair of boxers he didn't even bother to look at. Once he was dressed, he took the elevator down to the Gamma Lab to wait for Stark to get over whatever hangover he'd probably have.

Tony woke to the mind shattering sound of the elevator closing. The noise usually was very quiet, but due to his hangover, it rippled through him. Slowly, he got up and looked around. Seeing the destroyed pants on the floor he knew Bruce was awake. "JARVIS, where's Dr. Banner?"  
"In the Gamma Lab, sir." Tony got up and grabbed a pair of sunglasses, putting them on before getting in the elevator. His head was killing him and the lights in the lab weren't going to do him any good. Once the doors opened, he saw Bruce and smiled.  
"Hey, big guy, how'd you sleep?" he asked, walking up to the man and placing his hands on his hips. He pulled Bruce close and gave him a gentle kiss.

Bruce was picking up the monitor he had thrown on the floor the other day. He felt slightly guilty for not taking care of it sooner, but the situation never arose where he could without Tony asking him questions he didn't really want to delve into. It was too late though, Tony caught him placing the thing on the table, the screen slightly cracked. Even though he was caught, he couldn't help but give a smile as the man welcomed him back.  
"Well, I was pretty tired from yesterday, so that helped," he said, returning Stark's kiss and wrapping his arms around his back. It felt amazing to be able to touch and to be touched again. There was a slight blush on his face, worried Tony would start to go into questioning him right off the bat.  
"Nice sunglasses. That bad of a hangover?" he whispered this time, realizing anything louder was probably tortuous.

"Let's just say the elevator door's whisper shut didn't sound like a whisper today," he said, snuggling the top of the man's head. Sniffing him a bit, Tony noticed the scent of mixed shampoos and soaps. "Bruce...I can't believe you already broke the new rule. I guess I'll have to add it to your tab."  
He gave a small smile before kissing the man again. He had missed this. Bruce's soft skin, his warm lips, and most of all the warmth. "We leave tomorrow for Asia, you excited?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you," Bruce said quietly has the stroked the man's hair. When Stark asked about the vacation he tensed up slightly, even in his lovers arms.  
"As I'll ever be," he said meekly with a small smile. Truth be told, he was looking forward to being with Tony elsewhere. Somewhere that he wouldn't be hassled by reporters and whatnot. S.H.I.E.L.D. had done their job nicely with the kid from the benefit, he had seen nothing from the Daily Bugle or any other media about their relationship, which he was partially relieved for.

Tony felt the man tense up, it was obvious that he wasn't looking forward to what came afterward. He sighed, lifting the man up enough to put him on the lab table. He took off his sunglasses, grimacing at the light a bit. "If you don't want to go, I'll just send the others and come right back home after my business deal in Japan. You don't have to do this."

"No, that's not fair to you, Tony. I wouldn't have agreed with the other guy in the first place if I didn't want to." Bruce gave him another smile, rubbing Stark's head to try and ease the man's pain. It was odd how easily Tony could just move him around while he would nearly Hulk out if he tried to lift him. Kind of made him feel like a little kid being placed around which was sort of amusing and caused a little chuckle to escape Banner's lips.

Tony appreciated the help, moving into the touch. It was always a bit better when Bruce was trying to help. "JARVIS, turn off the lights please."  
"Yes, sir," the machine said snapping off the lights. Tony took off his shirt, letting the arc reactor be the only light in the room.  
"That's much better. So what were you laughing about Dr. Banner?" Tony asked, putting his hands on the man's waist.

"Just you carrying me around like I'm a small child. Doesn't help when I'm older then you," Banner said with a chuckle, appreciating the touch. The arc reactor's light was shining in his face, yet he didn't mind it. The man was enamored with the device. One that gave Stark the gift of life, yet he wanted him to take it away. Pity to see something so beautiful in the name of science turn into something so dreadful.  
"This dim enough?" Bruce asked, collecting himself again. He didn't want Tony to worry about him any more than necessary.

"Well, do you want me to stop?" Tony asked, knowing full well he had no intention of doing so. Still, it was nice to ask once in a while. Tony snuggled the man a bit, putting his head on his shoulder. "Yeah, I'm used to the light from the arc reactor even during a hangover."  
He kissed the man's neck gently with a small smile. Raising his head, he looked at the man seriously. "Bruce, I've been thinking...It's not fair of me to ask you to keep your 'promise' so I was considering just asking the Hulk if he would do it instead...If he wanted to."

"Tony...," Bruce got deathly quiet, the smile on his face quickly disappearing. The possibilities of what the other guy would do to Stark were endless, and it hurt just to think of a few easy ways the man could do it.  
"Tony...I-I'd rather I did it...," he said barely audible, even to himself. "I-I'll keep my promise."

"Bruce, I'm not going to ask you to do that...again. It was unfair of me, besides Hulk is a reasonable guy. I'm sure it'd be a quick and painless type of thing as long as I'm nice to him," he said with a small chuckle. He knew this conversation was hurting the man, but Tony wanted to let Bruce out of this promise. Hawkeye had made it very clear that what he had asked for was just wrong and completely self-centered.

"Tony please...," the smaller man whispered, leaning into the man's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around him again and held tightly, not wanting to lose the man. It was taking everything he had not to cry on Tony again.  
"I-I'm getting better. The treatments...I just need more radiation treatments," Bruce said, trying to get out of it but not by the means of the other guy. From what had happened when dealing with the Hulk it was obvious he was getting better at control, but the Hulk was still stronger. He just hoped that Stark would believe him so he could believe himself too.

Tony sighed, bringing his arms up to hold the man. It was time to stop the talk about this until a later date. He kissed the man gently and smiled "Okay, but we go up gradually. No more of this 'doubling the radiation in one go' bullshit. Understand?"  
If Bruce said the treatments were working, Tony believed him, especially after last night. If the treatments were working, then maybe, just maybe, Tony wouldn't have to lose Bruce. It was a thought that made him smile.

Bruce gave a nod after they parted from their kiss. Stark still had the distinct taste of alcohol on his breath and the doctor gave a sad smile at the notion.  
"Only if you stop doing your binges. Next time it happens, I'll let the other guy be more aggressive about it," he said weakly, trying to give a little humour to the serious topic. It honestly did worry him that Stark was more likely to drink himself to death before he had to keep his promise.

"I will stop binging," Tony said with a small pout. His drinking was his only out at the moment. When he had no ideas, no projects, no work, and no Bruce it was the only thing to stop his brain from going to dark places.  
"You know, Bruce, the last time you were on a lab table, I seem to remember touching you a lot more than this," Tony joked, trying to change it to a lighter subject.

"Thank you," Bruce gave a small grin to hear the words from Tony. He even laughed at Stark's next statement. His birthday made the lab tables more enjoyable than they were before.  
"I remember being incredibly sore the last time I was on a lab table," he said while giving a sly smile.

"You had fair warning that I'd be a pain in the ass before you even came here," Tony said, moving his hands down to grope Bruce's ass to emphasize his point a bit. He had to admit, seeing Bruce on the lab table partially took away his hangover as feeling started stirring up inside Tony. Mainly lust.

"I can't argue with that," Bruce moaned as Tony started playing with him. He let out a laugh to the situation, but pulled in Stark by the neck to give him a sweet kiss. He really did miss the man when he was gone, and even with the mix of alcohol, Stark tasted amazing.  
"Didn't think you'd literally become the pain in my ass though," he said after they parted, giving Stark's lips a soft kiss before letting the man go.

Tony accepted the kiss pressing his lips against Banner's too. He loved the man's soft warm lips. They were the perfect shade of pink and just the right size. He smiled at the man's words "To be honest, I didn't either, but I seem to recall it not all being a pain."

"No," Bruce gave his lopsided smile. He began to stroke Stark's slightly stubbled cheek and gave it a kiss. "It was a pretty enjoyable process to it, to say the least."  
The doctor looked down at Tony, his chest visible in the light of the arc reactor. The man was built and to be frank, he was damn sexy. Banner gave a blush at his inappropriate staring and looked at the corner of the lab table he was sitting on to keep his eyes away.  
"Sorry, do you want something for breakfast? With your hangover and all, a meal would probably be a good idea," he said into the table.

"Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong," Stark said with a small smile. He had no idea why Bruce was looking away from him at the moment. _Did I do something wrong? Did I say something? _His confusion was obvious on his face. "I'd prefer not to eat right now. I want to keep an empty stomach in case the alcohol comes back to bite me in the butt."

"Right." Bruce nodded as another apology. If he apologized for apologizing, he'd never hear the end of it. To keep his blush hidden, which it already was from the poor source of blue light, he crawled up on the table fully and sat cross legged, his back to Stark. He pulled the monitor towards him and turned the slightly damaged machine on. As much as he would like to be seduced by Tony's charm, his time was limited and he needed to utilize it.  
"What shall we do now then?" he asked calmly. He was hoping to do more research on gamma to see if he could find anything without delving too deep into the military.

Tony sighed in disappointment as the man turned his back to him. "Well, we can check the radiation levels in your blood mark any improvements or setbacks and while we do all this you can tell me about Betty Ross."  
Stark hadn't forgotten why he had started drinking the tequila last night; he was just putting off the inevitable. And if they were just going to be working anyway, Stark figured he might as well get information out the man.

Bruce nodded his head until Stark reached the end of his sentence. As soon as her name came up, the man froze on the monitor, unable to move his hand or even his body. A pained look settled on his face as he stared into the screen, unable to process any of the words on it.  
"Tony...I'm so so sorry," he managed to whisper in his shock.

"Why are you apologizing? You haven't done anything wrong. Sure, I would have liked to know about the reason General Ross hates you, but that's your business. All I really want to know is if you still feel the same way for her." Tony was jealous, it was obvious. The suave Tony Stark felt threatened by a woman whose father was trying to kill his boyfriend, but he really couldn't help it.

"Tony...," Bruce's heart was sinking. Of course this was hurting the both of them and he had no one to blame but himself. "I'm sorry...I should have told you about her. And yes...I still have my feelings for her. I...I left her to protect her. I couldn't live with the possibility that I'd lose it and hurt her. I already put her in so much danger...Then I met you, and tried to do the same thing. But you somehow convinced me against it..."

Tony's heart shattered hearing the man say he still had feelings for the woman. As much as he wanted to leave so he could sulk, he knew that would be a bad idea. "You didn't do anything wrong...," he said quietly as he rubbed an alcohol swab on the man before starting to take a blood sample with a special syringe he designed so he wouldn't be exposed to the radiation.

"She had a boyfriend the last time I saw her. Hopefully, they're still together, he seemed like a nice man for her." Bruce gave a sad smile as he regained control of his body, pushing up his sleeve to aid Tony. The thought that she could be living a normal life with someone who cared for her warmed his heart, while at the same time broke it. It really was for the best.  
"I should've told you this a long time ago...," Banner sighed, waiting for the pain on the needle. Anything that would hurt him physically was welcomed to take his mind off the mental pain.  
He pushed back his hair, trying to find the right words to set things straight. But like normal, he tripped all over himself when it came with interacting with others. All he could think of to say was, "I'm sorry." He spoke it lightly and repeated it over and over again, as if it would set things right.

"Bruce, stop apologizing. It's not like I've told you about every one of my relationships," Tony said, taking the vial of blood and putting it into a machine to measure the levels of radiation in the blood. Tony was willing to work right then only because he just couldn't look at Bruce at the moment. He took another sample of blood to look under a microscope.

Banner nodded, remaining silent to hope Tony would accept him more that way. As soon as Stark finished drawing his blood he covered it with super glue, like he normally would for any wound he got. Bruce tried to keep his mind on the monitor, watching as the results of his radiation showed up on the screen. Everything felt like it was hurting, making his body feel so much heavier than it was. He nodded silently as he noticed the spike in his gamma levels, comparing it with his previous readings.

"You're cells aren't visibly radiated, though there does seem to be a bit of odd movement. I think we should postpone more radiation treatments until after we get back from Asia. We can't have these permanently damaged," he said moving away from the microscope. "Let me know when you're ready to record the improvements when Hulked out."

Tony noticed the man's silence. He had brought up a bad topic and now they were both hurt. Tony walked over to the man, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind. He pressed a kiss to the back of his neck. "I love you."

"I love you too. So much," he whispered quietly, pushing the monitor away from him. There was nothing more to do if they were going to skip his treatments for a month. Bruce appreciated the warmth the man provided, but the pain still remained. Banner felt like he could get sick from hurting Stark so obviously. Holding back tears, he continued to look forward, unable to see Tony's pained face. It was too much to bear.

"Hey Bruce, do you remember the second time I kissed you? When you fell on me?" he asked, a slight smile creeping on his face from the memory. His hands moved up, trying to feel Bruce's chest through his shirt. He kissed the man's neck again before starting to suck on it lightly. He was going to fix the mood he put Bruce and himself in.

"Yeah...I passed out...," Bruce said quietly. He would normally be fine with Stark trying to change the subject with pleasure, but there was no way to shake the uneasy feeling he had in his stomach.

"Tony...I really don't feel well enough for this," Banner whispered as he got off the table. He held onto his stomach as he landed.

"Do you need help getting to bed?" Tony asked, a bit worried now. He was at the man's side in a second ready to catch him if he fell. "I'll order you some soup from the deli and have JARVIS make you some tea."

"I can manage. I'm not really hungry though," the doctor said meekly, still unable to look at Tony for what he did to him. They both got into the elevator and rode up to their room. Banner, without the lead of Stark, crawled into the bed and wrapped himself in the enormous blanket.

He rested there silently. There was no need for him to sleep, no desire. His mind was only telling him how awful he was for not confronting Tony sooner. Hell, he didn't even confront him, the other guy had to tell him and it only made him feel worse.

Tony was worried about Bruce. He had never seen him like this. The man didn't seem ill, just tired and sad. Tony had no idea how to handle this. Bringing a computer chair from one of the desks nearby, he sat next to Bruce's form. "Bruce...tell me what's wrong."

It was obvious that it had something to do with the Betty thing, but Tony didn't know what to do. He had been so blind with jealousy and so hurt, he really didn't think about how his words would affect Bruce.

Bruce laid there for a few minutes. Since he was completely covered, he left like he could let the tears he held back earlier fall. All he could think to do was apologize to Tony for everything. When he finally talked, it was muffled from the blanket and already quiet from his own weak voice.

"All I do is hurt you Tony. Whether it's through my actions or words or lack thereof. And it hurts to just sit there and watch it. Not to mention, I put you in danger, along with everyone else. I-I'm so sorry." the doctor was shaking in the blanket. This was more emotional and physical trauma that he could handle. Harming anyone made him feel sick. And what was worse, this was basically all why he left Betty to begin with. So he could stop hurting her, or potentially hurt her.

Tony listened to the man with a sad expression. Bruce was hurting so much because he cared so much about the people around him. Tony gently rubbed the man's back as he shook. It was in no way sensual, it was purely for the purpose of comforting the man and to let him know that he was loved.

Tony hated hearing the man apologize for things that weren't his fault; he constantly told him he didn't have to apologize. But maybe that was the problem. Maybe Bruce needed to feel forgiveness instead of rationalizing. Tony whispered, very gently "I forgive you, for any time you have unintentionally hurt me or put me in danger."

Bruce nodded, appreciating the comforting touch. He silently let more tears fall as he rested under the giant blanket. He wanted to be stronger, to show that he could hold his own in front of Stark. Anything to take away the pain he gave to the man. He wiped away the tears on the bedding which left little water stains in the fabric. He took a deep breath before he spoke.

"T-Thank you." Rarely would Tony say he forgave anyone. It felt nice to have the man accept his apologies for once. The doctor felt slightly better for getting everything off his chest and for Tony accepting his endeavors to say he was sorry. There was still the sickening feeling he got whenever he managed to harm someone in the pit of his stomach. "I think I'll just rest here for a while..."

"Alright...," Tony said, still worried. He decided he'd still sit next to the man while he rested. It amazed a lot of people, but Tony could be quiet and calm when he really wanted to. His love was crying and he wasn't going to leave him alone. Bad things happened when depressed people were left alone. For example, Tony almost drinking himself to death or Banner breaking one of the computer monitors. Tony wanted to grab a Kleenex off from the box on the table and reach over to wipe Bruce's tears. It seemed only right considering how Bruce had done the exact same for Tony only two days ago. He just wanted to be there for the man.

Banner's breathing was back to normal and he lengthened it to try and relax. His tears and shaking finally subsided. Letting out his emotions was strenuous, and once again, he felt more tired than he should. He removed his face from the covers, closing his red eyes and started to actually rest. Before he fell into a deep slumber, he whispered, "I love you," to the man who stayed with him.

Tony smiled, hearing the man's words of affection. "I love you too," he whispered. Tony sat in that computer chair, watching Bruce sleep. He actually seemed peaceful. There was no sign of worry or pain on his face. This was the type of peace Tony wished Bruce could always feel. Eventually, Tony fell asleep in the chair, trying to make sure he stayed with the man, just like he had done for Tony in the hospital.

Bruce woke up what felt like minutes later. Grabbing his glasses from the end table, he read his watch to see that it was more like a few hours. He sighed and put the glasses back down on the table. He looked to his other side to find Tony still sitting in the chair, warming his heart. He got out of the bed to pick up the larger man to gently place him where he was. Luckily, he was close enough so it didn't strain him too hard.

Bruce laid next to the man, wrapping his arms around him. His rest allowed his troubled mind to settle and he was feeling much better. He kissed Tony's cheek and whispered another, "I love you."

Tony stirred awake when he felt the movement around him. His eyes slowly opened to see Bruce, causing a smile crept its way onto his face. Looking around a bit, he realized he was in the bed. His smile only got larger at the thought of Bruce carrying him. He felt the man's arms around him and snuggled into the warmth for more. "Are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I'm sorry for earlier," the small man said as he snuggled into the man's naked chest, enjoying the warmth. Bruce wasn't one for showing his emotions and earlier he basically had a mental breakdown. He forgave himself as he rolled more on to Stark, holding him closer.

"Good," he said, bringing his hand up to stroke the man's soft hair gently. This was one of those moments where he wanted to freeze time. Where all there was, was this loving warmth and the words they spoke. No worries, no Hulk, just them. "I didn't expect you to be able to carry me."

"Well, since you were less than a foot from the bed, I didn't have to travel far." Bruce gave a lopsided grin, finally looking Stark in the eyes after his episode. He could see the love there again and it nearly made him start crying… again. At least this time it would be out of happiness. Banner gave Stark a passionate kiss, getting to taste the man not lustfully, but lovingly, just wanting to be closer to the man.

Tony's heart jumped every time he saw that lopsided grin. It was a smile that he knew was never forced and happened only when Banner was in a good enough mood to make jokes of his own. Those dark brown eyes made contact with his own and he almost melted. This was how he knew Bruce was okay. He only looked Tony in the eye when he was sure his emotions were controlled or when he really wanted to convey something. Try as he might, Bruce could never hide his feelings from Tony when he looked him in the eye. It was probably why it was such a rare occasion. The kiss was magical. It was warm, loving, and most of all initiated by Bruce. "What was that for?" he asked when the kiss was finished.

"I just wanted to be closer," Bruce said, blushing at his own actions just to bury his face in Stark's exposed chest which only caused him to blush more. It was amazing how warm Tony could get, it was so welcoming. As wonderful as the experience was a sudden realization hit Banner.

"Shouldn't you go to the office today? Since everyone will be leaving for a while and it is your business trip above all else," he asked worriedly, trailing off at the end allowing Tony to piece together what he was saying. It was hard enough to get Stark to do work, let alone go do his job.

Stark sighed a bit nodding "You're right, you're right." He reluctantly untangled himself from their position and went to the closet to put on nicer clothes. He still had to dress as a figurehead. After tying his tie, he went to the bed, leaning over Bruce a bit. "Do I get a goodbye kiss?"

"Only since you're actually going to go," Banner said with a chuckle. He pulled on Stark's tie to pull him in closer for his kiss. Again, Bruce got the taste of alcohol in his mouth, but didn't care. This was special and it felt amazing none the less.

"I guess I'll see you later," he gave a small smile. He didn't know how much later, there was the issue of the other guy on that topic, but there was no need to bring that up while his lover was leaving.

Tony accepted the kiss happily. He licked his lips as he stood tasting Bruce on them. "Bye, babe," he said before taking their private elevator to the parking garage and going to his office to finish up some last minute work.

Rogers had just come back from a ride around town as he passed Tony's car. The man waved and Steve saw there wasn't a small man in there with him. This was Steve's chance to talk to Banner without having Tony jump down his throat. He parked his motorcycle. "JARVIS, please inform Dr. Banner I'd like to have a word with him in my room, if that location is okay."

"Yes, sir," the machine answered. Over Banner's room, JARVIS repeated Steve's words.

"Tell him I'll be there soon," Bruce said as he wondered what the Captain would possibly want to talk about. Probably over Tony's drinking the other night and he gave a sigh. He got out of the bed to grab his glasses from the nightstand and his ID card from his oversized pants he discarded on the floor earlier that day. Soon, he was in the elevator, playing with his hands out of his nervous habit. When he reached Steve's room, he tapped on the door and returned his hands to their normal position.

"Um, Mr. Rogers. It's Dr. Banner," he said through the door, not wanting to surprise the man. The doctor waited patiently as he fiddled with his hands for the man to open the door.

JARVIS informed Steve of that Bruce was coming. It didn't take him but a second to open the door. He stepped out of the way so Banner could walk in. "Dr. Banner, please come in. Have a seat if you wish, we have a lot to talk about." His tone was serious, but he needed to talk to Banner about what has been going on.

Bruce nodded and stepped inside. He hadn't seen Steve's room since they decorated it and it still was exciting to see the forties style bedroom. It was quaint, and looked a lot less eccentric than his or Tony's room, which made him feel more at ease. Banner took a seat at the desk in the corner of the room and turned around to face the Cap. The man seemed on edge about what needed to be said and that was enough reason for the doctor to be at attention for him.

"So...What do you want to talk about first?" Banner asked awkwardly, playing with his hands. It would be a surprise which of the number of questions Rogers probably had would be asked first, so might as well let him decide. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too stress inducing. If Steve wanted a conversation, the Hulk wouldn't be his best option.

Steve watched as the man took his seat and began planning his interrogation. It would probably be better to have Natasha do this, but that was out the question now. Standing in front of the man, Steve decided to test Bruce's honesty first. "Bruce, what set Tony off into that drinking spell? Since I've been here, I haven't seen him have more than a few glasses over the course of a day then suddenly he almost kills himself with scotch? Something's not right there. Tell me what happened."

Bruce looked down at his hands, unsure as to whether or not tell the Captain. That was a personal matter between Tony and himself. If Tony didn't want to talk about it to the others, then who was Bruce to judge him and spill his secret. Out of love and loyalty, he'd keep it that way.

"I...I don't know if Tony would like me to disclose that information...," Banner said as calmly as he could. Trying to let it be known that he would give any information, but not without his partner. "Tony does have his own personal life. If he wants to keep secrets, I have no right to tell them without his permission."

Steve was frustrated, but he could respect that. Bruce wasn't intentionally hiding things for respecting Tony's privacy. "Bruce, whatever it was, we need to fix it. That was way too close a call for comfort. You have to remember, he's not only yours. The world needs Iron Man and all the Avengers need Tony Stark. Just like you, he's our friend and we care about him. Even Thor has picked up on the fact something has been seriously wrong with Stark recently."

Rogers decided not to tell Bruce that he already knew the reason. Not only would he be mad at Tony for telling, he'd be mad at him, Clint, and Thor for snooping around in their personal life.

"I know and I'm sorry...I've addressed him on the topic and he said he'd stop his binging. But he already broke that promise while I was gone yesterday and made him promise again today. I don't know if he'll really stop...," Bruce whispered into his hands. Remembering all of that took a toll on him. He was keeping himself in control. There was no need to have another breakdown, and with the Captain of all people.

"Well, if he doesn't, we can always try to make him go cold turkey," Rogers suggested. It wasn't something he wanted to do to Tony. It was just what might have to be done. If the man was this depressed, they'd have to take care of it fast. "This vacation is obviously something he needs. So I'll talk to everyone else about making sure they stay low key. You just make sure that by the time the vacation is done, he's out of this pitiful funk."

Bruce nodded his head until Rogers got to the vacation. He bit his lip at the thought of how Stark will be after the vacation when he was gone. He'd need someone to watch him, not just the other guy.

"About the vacation...I thought it would only be fair if I gave the other guy a vacation of his own after ours since I won't really be able to let him out in Asia for long periods of time...I'll try to watch Tony during that time, but I would appreciate if everyone else made sure he was alright too. But like you said, 'low key'," Bruce said with a forced smile. The doctor was half telling the truth. He didn't want the Cap to worry about his promise to the other guy. This way it seemed nicer than it really was, and hell, if he could mentally trick himself into thinking everything was alright, he would. This was a close at he could get.

"How long of a 'vacation' is the Hulk going to get?" he asked obviously not happy with this arrangement. How could Bruce do this to Tony when he knew how vulnerable the man was at the moment? This was something the Cap couldn't control and he'd just have to deal with, this time. "We'll keep a close eye on him, even if I have to drink all the alcohol in this building myself to keep him from it."

"Thank you, I appreciate it. At least you have the metabolism to do that," he said with a slight chuckle. Banner gave the man a grateful smile, looking at Steve for the first time. Like everyone else, he distinctly avoiding looking into the man's eyes. There was no telling what Rogers was feeling currently and he didn't really want to find out. His little laughter died out as he started to address the other topic of information Steve wanted.

"Two weeks for two weeks," Bruce repeated like he had done with the Hulk. He looked back down at his hands, playing with the watch on his wrist.

"Alright two weeks and he's your pain in the ass again." Steve blushed a little, realizing the pun he made. "N-not that I mean he's going to be a literal pain in our asses for those two weeks. O-or that you guys do that on a regular basis. I-I just meant he can be a pain in the neck. N-not that I mean that either!" he said, remembering the hickies. His face was now a bright red as he sputtered trying to make up for his possibly offensive wording.

Bruce laughed at how flustered the poor Captain got. Amazingly, the Captain was worse at the topic than he was. "It's okay Captain. I know what you mean," Banner gave him a reassuring smile, hoping to get the man to calm down. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?"

"That was all I wanted to talk about. I have to say, Dr. Banner, Tony's just like his father. You're really good for him. Maybe if Howard had someone as special to him as you are to Tony, then he wouldn't have had such a promiscuous life." Coming from the Cap, this was a compliment. He felt a promiscuous lifestyle was one of the worst decisions someone could make.

"Thanks, Cap," he gave the man another smile as he stood up to leave. It seemed like Steve was warming up to the two of them and he was glad to see it. Banner shook Rogers' hand before he left, the captain was still formal and it was a nice gesture.

"I really do appreciate the help. Um...Tony will need it when I'm gone," Bruce said, trying to drop a hint. It was an extra warning for the Captain to keep a close eye on Stark.

"I'll make sure to take care of him. Besides, I told Howard I would babysit his boy for him sometime. I just didn't think I'd be doing it when he was a grown man." He chuckled to himself a bit. "Can you do me a favor and not tell Stark we had this talk? He tends to get a bit...testy whenever he thinks I'm harassing you."

Bruce chuckled with the Captain. His hero must've had a lot of stories about the inspirational man. He'd have to have another chat with him in the future.

"I can handle that." Bruce gave a small grin. Stark was one to get jealous of the Cap. He'd be more annoyed that he talked with him while he was away. "I'll try to fix that for the future too. I've tried, he's just very stubborn."

Bruce gave a final nod of his head and went back to his room. Life was quiet without Stark, and there was no lab work to be done. Not only that, but there was the promise to the big guy. Banner let out a sigh as he undressed fully, placing his glasses where they belong and his ID card back into the pants he had enlarged the previous day. He put on the old article of clothing, holding it to prevent it from easily falling down his slim frame.

"JARVIS, deactivate the beta blockers," he said to his wrist.

"Of course, Dr. Banner," his wrist replied back to him. With that, his eyes glowed green and his skin turned a similar colour. Muscles formed and filled out his torn pants. The Hulk stood, beaming that he was out once more.


	18. Chapter 18 Visitor

**Sorry for the increasingly late updates :( Been swamped with school and trying to develop a social life in a new place doesn't help either. Don't worry though. We're still writing. Slowly but surely. Most of the chapters are already written and we're still going (we're going onto chapter 56, holy shit what the hell am I doing with my life?!) But the delay for the posting is editing We're getting into the area where I was on pain meds when I got my wisdom teeth removed and I wrote pretty special at the time...It doesn't help that editing a single chapters takes hours of dedicated time (which I don't really have), but none the less, I will get this stuff out! Once I find my grove and get out of the special territory editing will be easier and thus, faster postings. Love you all! Thanks for the love and concern! Posts will most likely be on weekends when I got the time! Gomen 3**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS, I ALREADY HAVE ALL THESE FEELS. DON'T MAKE ME EXPLODE THEM INTO CANNON. **

Chapter 18 - Visitor

Tony came home exhausted from his small amount of work. There was nothing more tiring than a bunch of old executives bitching at him about how he ran his company and trying to hand him things. God he hated to be handed things. He walked into the Tower, undoing his tie. All he wanted was a welcome back kiss, a showe,r and maybe a bath if Bruce would join him. "JARVIS, where's Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner is not here right now. Mr. Hulk is."

"Oh... then I guess I'll just have to go hang out somewhere I suppose..." He had promised Bruce not binge, so that meant that was out. He decided to go to the Gamma Lab to work on the cells he collected earlier. "JARVIS, please inform the Hulk I am home if he wants to hang out or get food or something."

"Of course, sir," JARVIS said to the man that ran the place. He switched over to the lounge where the Hulk was sitting in, watching TV. "Mr. Hulk, Mr. Stark has arrived back at the Tower. He has informed me to tell you that he is available to 'hang out or get food or something'." JARVIS had switched over to an audio recording of Stark for the quote.

The green man laughed at the overhead. He wasn't quite expecting a message like that. There was nothing for him to do, except go and smash things in the training area, but there was a hunger in his stomach yet to be satisfied.

"Get food is best option," he spoke to the AI. The giant rarely used the butler, but hopefully it would deliver his message.

JARVIS went over Tony's head as he played the recorded message. Tony smiled. Glad he wouldn't be spending the time until he saw Bruce working. He was already tired from his earlier meeting. Getting up, he went to the lounge where the Hulk was watching T.V. "What do you want to eat?"

"Anything as long as there's meat involved," Hulk said, turning his attention away to the screen. He was hungry enough to not particularly care what he got, as long as the thing had substance.

"Shawarma it is," Tony said with a smile. "Come on, we'll take one of the cars," he said, hoping that at least one of them was strong enough to hold up the green man's weight.

"Hulk has better idea," he said with a grin. Cars were not something big on the green one's list to ride in, or any form of transportation other than himself. He went to the elevator with Stark, where he was once again pressed too close to the giant, but let it slide. They rode up to the meeting floor where the Hulk wandered outside and waited for Tony to follow.

"Point the way," he said, grabbing the man and placing him on the back of his neck. "Oh and try not to fall off." With that, he lept into the sky with the utmost ease.

Tony followed the man confused. A light blush spread across his face when the Hulk placed him on his back. He held on tight, knowing he wouldn't choke the man. "Go straight ahead about ten buildings, then go right about six, then we should be on top of it."

This was a first. As far as he knew, no one got to ride on the Hulk's back. It made him feel a bit special. He was also scared this was a plan to throw Tony off his back in midair and kill him. He felt his heart beating fast at the uncertainty.

Hulk grunted a response while he took the appropriate path. It was amusing to feel Stark's death grip on his neck, not that it hurt him in the slightest. He was on the last building and stopped his enormous leaps. He walked over to the edge, finding a clear path to land on the busy streets of New York. Spotting an opening, the green man walked off the side of the building and landed with a great THUD, startling the nearby pedestrians.

"Ride's over, Tinman," he said with a laugh. Stark had managed to grip on tighter from the free fall and that was enough for the giant to boom

Tony slid off the Hulk's back, the color returning to his hands after their prolonged hold. "Thanks for the ride, big guy," he said, trying to play off the fact he had been scared shitless. Walking into the building, he ordered for both men paying the large fee. "Do you want to go somewhere else to eat? Where it's more open or do you want to eat here?"

His question wasn't meant to offend the Hulk; it was purely what was more comfortable for him. Tony didn't mind being seen with the man or anything like that.

"Don't mention it," Hulk said with a chuckle. He looked around the store, it was incredibly tiny, even for a normal restaurant's standards. There wasn't much desire to eat in a cramped place to the suggestion was appreciated. And then there were the whispering customers at the fact that two of the Avengers randomly appeared which wasn't high on the lists of what he wanted.

"Eat at the park," he said. While passing over the numerous buildings, the park was spotted easily. It was closer to where they were than the Tower. Plus, the big guy hadn't been outside of the Tower to really enjoy the city, so there was that too. Once they had gotten the food, the Hulk carried it as they walked downtown to Central Park.

Tony smiled, looking around the park. It had been a long time since he had been out to the park. He chose a secluded park bench by the pond for them to sit on and eat. Taking his bag from the Hulk with a thanks, he sat on the bench and took a big bite. The food tasted just as great as when they had defeated the aliens. "So, big guy, what do you want to do today?" he asked in between bites.

The Hulk sat down carefully, trying not to break the bench. He opened one of his numerous bags and ate two of the rolled up meat. It tasted garlicky, but was still good.

"Don't know," Hulk said with his mouth filled. He was currently enjoying the view, and the quietness of the park. Even if he preferred to be alone, right now he didn't mind spending his time fooling around with Tony. As much as he didn't like the man due to Banner, he could enjoy his company. While eating another one of his shawarma, there was a light tap on his shoulder. He gave a confused look and could feel a deep anger sitting in him when he heard the next word.

"Bruce...?" came a quiet voice from behind. Hulk let out a growl to whirl around and yell, threatening whoever was there by raising his fist. He didn't even care that he dropped one of his bags of food as he stood up to turn.

"BANNER NOT HOME!" he yelled, but his demeanor softened indefinitely when he saw who was there. He let his giant hand rest and he stared at the small girl in front of him.

"B-Betty...," he said in the softest voice the Hulk could muster.

Tony was ready to defend whoever was brave enough to talk to the Hulk, let alone call him Bruce. His body stiffened when he heard the woman's name. Slowly he turned to see the woman that was quite attractive. She had beautiful brown hair, light brown eyes, and if Tony said so himself a wonderful body. He felt his chest constricting. Amazed that this was Betty Ross, there was no way he could compete with those perfect boobs. "This...is Betty?"

"Bruce! You can talk?! Oh god, I've been so worried!" Betty rushed around the bench to try and give the giant man a proper hug. Of course, it was awkward from the fact he was about twice as wide as the girl's arm span. The green man allowed for the soft contact, his usual rough and tough edge gone. And there was the presence of the real Bruce Banner telling him to run.

"I'm sorry I didn't come see you sooner. I was away for a research trip for two months and I only just got back. It was hard to just watch you on the TV during the alien invasion...," she held the Hulk tighter as he remained silent, unmoving.

Tony watched as she hugged the Hulk. Even though he wasn't Bruce at the moment, it still made Tony mad. If she really wanted to contact Bruce before, she would have been able to. Her father was, after all, the head of the Hulk Busters.

"He's not Bruce," Tony said a bit cold. "You are currently talking to and hugging Hulk, which there is nothing wrong with. He's a nice guy and fun, but at least call him by his name. He's his own person, separate from Bruce, and treating him as anything less is just an insult."

Tony had no idea if the Hulk was going to be mad at him for speaking to Betty like this or not, but he didn't care. It pissed him off. After everything the Hulk tolerated her better than him. _What did you expect, Tony? He already told you he fancies this girl, naturally he'd be nicer to her than you. _

"We shouldn't be doing this," Bruce said quietly, his image forming right behind Betty. He had the same sad look in his eyes as did the Hulk. The doctor hugged Betty in return, and the Hulk followed his lead. For Betty, he'd do what the doctor wanted. He knew what was best for her and that was what was important for the both of them.

"I'm so sorry, Betty...But this isn't what's supposed to happen," Bruce spoke softly and calmly with a sad smile on his face. Everything he was saying and doing was repeated flawlessly through the giant green man. He finally parted from Betty and the Hulk did the same, making sure the girl stayed off of him.

"Tony, its okay," the Hulk said, still repeating Bruce who was next to him now. He turned to face the man and gave a small smile. It was the first time the Hulk had called Tony by his first name. But it was from Bruce and it definite wasn't going to be said often. Returning back to Betty, he took her hands.

"Please...for your safety, don't come after me," he said somberly. The Hulk let go, having fully delivered the message. He leapt into the air and headed for the giant buildings of Manhattan. After a few minutes of building hoping, he finally sat down on the rocky base of one. Like before, he had to run to protect the one he loved. The giant sighed as he looked up at the sky, just needing to be alone.

"It's for the best," Banner said leaning on the Hulk's back. The green man's response was a silent nod and they both continued to look at the clouds passing by.

Betty stood where the Hulk left her, pained that the man had to leave. She didn't question it, but she wasn't going to give up so easily. She looked to Stark; he was there with the big guy and got fairly offensive for him. If anyone knew where to find him, it would be the man sitting on the bench. "Do you know where he went?"

Tony stopped on the spot hearing the Hulk use his name. It was obviously Bruce talking. The sentences were a lot more polite than Hulk has ever spoken and it seemed as if they were trying to trick her into thinking that the Hulk was still Bruce. It pissed him off when they left. Bruce still loved her so much, it made Tony scowl a bit before returning to a neutral face. He turned to the girl to answer her.

"Why would I tell _you _where _my_ boyfriend went," he emphasized the fact that Bruce was his. He may be willing to let them keep up their little charade that the Hulk was Bruce, but he wasn't going to let there be any misunderstandings about what was going to happen here.

"Boyfriend? Just who in the hell _are_ you? How do you even know Bruce?" There was a mixture of anger and sadness on her face. She had finally found her love after searching the city all day, and now she learns that he's been with a guy of all people. It was ridiculous.

"I'm Tony Stark A.K.A. Iron Man. And I just told you Bruce is my boyfriend. But if you mean how did we meet, it was through S.H.I.E.L.D., just before the major alien attack. Feel free to cry a river on my shoulder because you lost the best thing in this world," he said with a small smile, knowing what he said was probably a low blow. He meant it too. He couldn't imagine the pain of losing Bruce to someone else so he'd be willing to let her cry on his shoulder a bit.

Betty stared in amazement at the audacity this man had. She hadn't even known him for a minute and she already hated the smug smile on his face. There had been no word on Banner for years until last month, and then there was finally something to go off on. She hoped for a month that Bruce would still be in the Big Apple when she could finally make it and then all this. Sure, she stayed with her boyfriend, but she was always worried about how the doctor was doing. Now her hope to be with the man was crushed by his words, that Banner had never been able to speak before as the other guy when she last saw him, and the snarky man in front of her.

"The billionaire? The playboy? Seriously, Bruce? What are you thinking? When did he learn to talk while he was like this?" she decided to ignore Tony. All that mattered right then and there was Bruce and, god dammit, she wasn't going to lose him again. Betty sprinted off in the direction that the Hulk had went, her heels clicking on the sidewalk as she sped away in a feeble attempt to find the doctor.

"Ex playboy, thank you," Tony said as she ran away. It was obvious she wasn't going to give up. Tony sighed a bit. Pulling out his ID, he pulled up Bruce's card. "Hulk...I'm sorry for getting so defensive...it just...it just pissed me off to see her hugging you and calling you Bruce. It just wasn't fair and it's cruel and she's looking for you guys."

Hulk pulled out his ID card, after a while of not even noticing the thing going off. He and Bruce were enjoying their alone time. One time where they could agree on something and share the same feelings. Still speaking together, he started to talk to Tony.

"No, I'm sorry. Please...Keep her safe. If anything, take her back home. I can't hurt her again. It's for the better," the Hulk spoke quietly like Banner did with him.

Tony's jaw clenched a bit as he said a bit strained "I'll find her and give her a ride home." He quickly ran in the direction Betty did. As he searched he called JARVIS to have him send Happy to his location as soon as he gave him the signal. Seeing the woman, Stark caught her arm gently. "Betty, Bruce says he's sorry. He asked me to make sure you get home safely. Please don't put up a fight for this. It's Banner's wish. We both want him to be happy."

"If he was sorry, he'd come and talk to me! I've waited years to see him again! I've been worried sick! He was on the run for god knows how long. Father's upset that he can't go and hunt the poor man and I snuck away under his nose for the one place I thought he could possibly be at! How did he contact you? He didn't say anything about taking me home back there so you have some means of communication! Let me talk to him! I won't leave until I do," Betty nearly yelled as she angrily pulled her arm away from Stark. She was smart and perceptive, even in her rage and sadness. The other thing was, she wasn't going to leave until she got what she came for.

The woman's behavior was quickly pissing him off. He was ready to just get his suit and throw her over his shoulder, but that would just piss Banner off. He could leave her, but Bruce asks for so little. How could he deny the man this one request? Tony took a deep breath before speaking. "Tell you what, come to the Tower tonight and have dinner with Bruce and I, if he'll let me, but only if you let me take you home. If you say no, I'll leave you alone and you can go on without even the possibility of speaking to him. It's no skin off the tip of my nose if you never see him again," he said, waiting for her answer.

Betty's brow furrowed in frustration at the man, but at least he was giving her a chance. Yet he was still trying to get her to leave and in her defence, it was outrageous. "I live in Virginia. I just got to NYC today by plane, no hotel room yet. I think I'd be going pretty far out of your way for driving. How about I just wait at the Tower until then?" she said cockily. Just in case the man was pulling a fast one on her, she'd at least be able to monitor the situation if she was around him. It was her only real chance to get to see Bruce again.

"Fine, but you will wait in the lounge while I discuss with him whether or not he's okay with this," Tony called for the car and opened the door for the woman. She was going to see who held Bruce's heart now. Tony was going to make sure that she never misunderstood her place. She would understand that though she may hold the Hulk's heart, but Bruce was his and his alone. Pulling out his phone, he pressed a button to contact JARVIS. "JARVIS, please inform Bruce of the conversation that Miss Ross and I just had."

"Yes, sir." Going to the man's card, he began playing a recording of Tony and Betty's conversation.

Bruce shook his head as he heard the recording. Tony was going exactly against what he wished again and he couldn't help but let out a sigh. Hulk followed the reaction, but decided to talk with the doctor before yelling at Stark.

"Should we...you talk to her? Your boyfriend isn't gonna help make things easier. Hell, knowing him, he probably already told her," Hulk grumbled, talking to the man behind him.

"It's easier to run away. It always has been. Goodbyes have never been my strong suit. But unlike with Betty, Tony made me stay. It still makes me wonder...," Bruce said quietly, thinking out loud to the giant man. "We'll talk to her. Set things straight. It...might be easier if she actually saw Bruce Banner though..."

Hulk let out a growl, but nodded. The doctor was right, the Hulk would be the worst person to consult for this and for Betty, he'd be willing to let the man out. The giant green man got off the gravel from the roof and talked into his ID. "Not happy, Tinman. We'll be at the Tower soon."

With his message he pocketed the item and jumped back to the direction of Avengers Tower. He landed on the balcony and took his long strides inside. Each step getting shorter and shorter as his body grew smaller and reverted back to its normal colour. Banner was clutching onto his pants as he walked into the meeting room. He dashed to the elevator to get to Tony's room to change before the two arrived.

When Tony walked in he took Betty to a lounge on a floor that was different then his and Bruce's bedroom. "Please, have a seat while I talk to Bruce. We will be with you shortly. JARVIS, where's Bruce?"

"Dr. Banner is in yours and his bedroom," the machine answered. Tony smiled a bit, glad that Betty heard they shared a room. Going to the elevator, he left her there while he went to their room. He was so happy to see Bruce, though he knew how mad he was going to be at him for inviting Betty here. He walked up to the man, grabbing him from behind to give him a tight hug.

"Hey, big guy. I missed you. The executives kept trying to hand me things today. It was really annoying," he said this as if he had just come home from the meeting. Stark had really wanted that 'welcome home' kiss and warmth he wasn't going to let the situation stop him.

Betty waited patiently after Stark left. There was a slightly angered look on her face and disappointment. The last time she slept with the man they had tried to get it on, but he stopped her before it got too far. He didn't want to Hulk out and she understood that. Since he was sleeping with the man, she could only imagine what else he had been doing with him.

Bruce was buttoning up the shirt he had worn earlier that day. Even though he was slightly angry at Stark for inviting Betty, he gave a sigh and accepted the hug and kiss. It was something to calm him down a tad before.

"I'm sorry to hear that. What did you say to Betty after I left?" Bruce said quickly getting to the point. He was very tense to the prospect of what Tony could have said to the poor girl.

"Well, I introduced myself, told her you're my boyfriend, told her she could cry a river on my shoulder because she lost the best damn thing in the world, and I invited her to dinner if you were willing to talk to her." It was obvious that Tony really shouldn't have been trusted alone with the woman. He had so much love for Bruce and cared so much for the Hulk that he wasn't afraid to crush this woman's emotions with everything he had. Considering he was a billionaire and Iron Man, he had a lot.

Bruce bit his lip, holding back from yelling at the man. This was definitely what Tony would do since he got so easily jealous over 'his property'. Banner sighed and gave a nod. There was no changing it now. He would have to confess to her everything that had happened.

"Alright, alright. You have every right to be mad," he pinched his brow in frustration. He looked up to Tony was sad eyes, showing him that he truly didn't want to hurt him. His love for the man was endless, but Betty still held a special place in his heart. "I'm so sorry, Tony."

"Bruce, it's fine. _I _lost control today. Seeing her hug the Hulk like that and calling him Bruce it just really pissed me off," Tony kissed the man gently before kissing his neck lightly and began sucking lightly in a very visible area. There was no way he was letting Bruce go out there unmarked. His sucking gradually got rougher, trying not to let on to his intentions.

"I'm sorry...We both wanted to comfort her slightly for what we had to do...Tony! What the hell are you doing?! I'm being serious here!" Bruce said, pushing Tony off of him. He rubbed his neck, he was definitely going to have a bruise there. As much as he loved the man, sometimes his sexy spells really were inappropriate.

"Sorry, Bruce. I just couldn't resist. Please continue," he said, sitting on the bed to put on his listening face. He smiled as he saw the red forming a large mark on the man's neck. It was the perfect size to catch Betty's attention. She would understand that she lost her chance.

Bruce let out a groan of frustration as he couldn't remember what he was going to stay. He started pacing back and forth in the room, unable to control himself. His hands were playing with each other, as if it would help stimulate his mind to find the right words to say.

"W-what am I going to say to her...? I'm horrible with goodbyes...," Banner mumbled to himself, his hands only moving faster with each step.

Watching the man, Tony felt awful. As much as he hated the thought of Banner and Betty getting along, he despised seeing him so worked up. Tony slowly walked toward the man, stopping his pacing and placed his hands over Bruce's to stop the movement. "Why does it have to be a goodbye? Can't you two be friends? I mean, hell, Pepper and I were in a relationship and she actually walked in on us cuddling on the couch. She's still one of my best friends that would do anything for me, even take care of you. Betty seems like a good woman, she should be able to accept being just friends right?"

"But the General...," Bruce muttered to himself. The last time he parted with Betty, General Ross was at her side. He at least knew then that he wasn't going to go back to her, yet there she was, sitting in the Tower to see him again. The man wanted his daughter out of the crazy Hulk business and he could respect that.

"The General can go fuck himself. When I'm done with him, he's going to wish he would have left you alone and let you just be with his daughter," he said with a smile. "Come on, she's waiting for us. I had Dummy make us some dinner."

"I don't think Dummy's cooking is that reassuring...," Bruce said meekly as he let Tony lead, taking the man's hand to help him follow. Banner felt like he was frozen and the only thing melting him was Stark's sweet touch. They both got into the elevator and headed down to where Betty was.

A ping came from over to where the elevator was. First came out Stark, which Betty automatically scowled at. Looking more closely, there was another figure hiding behind the larger man. There stood Bruce, the real Bruce. Betty stood up and rushed over to give the small man a real hug and even stole a kiss. The doctor didn't resist. This was something he missed, but he pulled her off quickly before their tongues tangled for much longer.

"Betty," he said with a small smile and glossy eyes. "I'm so sorry..."

"Bruce, please. Just stop running for once. Thank you for coming back." Betty returned the doctor's gestures. His hands were around her small waist, it felt natural, but it gave a discomfort from what Stark had told her earlier.

Tony tensed up when she kissed Bruce. That was not okay, that was _his _Bruce now and those lips belonged to him. Even though Bruce pushed her away, it was obvious he wasn't resisting much. His hands were on her waist. The hands Tony had been holding just moments ago. Stark wanted to stop this, but he bit his lip knowing Bruce needed to handle this on his own. Though that didn't stop him from letting his frustration easily be seen on his face.

"Um...S-shall we sit down...?" Bruce said, realizing the awkwardness of the situation. He could feel Tony staring them both down and it wasn't overly pleasant. He took his hands off Betty to allow them to fumble with themselves as they all took a seat on the couch. Obviously, Banner sat in between the two, in case there was a fight to ensue.

"So, um, Betty...," Bruce started quietly and leaned back, holding his hands in front of the other man as if to present a surprise. "T-This is my boyfriend, Tony, and I'm not gay. I mean, I'm bi, but that's not the reason why... Erm well, I met him little more than a month ago and we really connected, but that's not like we didn't. I mean, I still have feelings for you, but I do with Tony and, oh god I'm babbling please make me stop." Banner had started to shake while he sputtered whatever the jumbled mess in his mind was thinking of.

Betty looked at the man, saddened to hear the truth, but when he started to freak out she quickly went to reach over and grab the man's hand. The only problem was that Stark was faster. She let out a sigh and placed her hand on Banner's shoulder, rubbing it lightly.

"I-It's okay, Bruce. You were gone for a while...I was really worried for you with the invasion and everything. I was in California at the time with research and it was awful not to go and find you...," she trailed off quietly, not sure what to say to the man. Of course, she was disappointed, and partially angry, but she wanted Bruce to be comfortable talking before she did.

Tony listened as the man spoke, his anger rising faster and faster. Once he started to do his cute rambling he took the man's hand quickly. _If that bitch thinks she's going to get another freebie, she has another thing coming. I hope she knows I have no problem getting the suit and personally kicking her out my house or maybe leaving her in the Sahara desert or somewhere around it. _A smile formed on his face at the thought.

Hearing her talk, Tony laced his and Bruce's fingers together to keep himself calm as well as the other man. He wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his jealousy, he'd leave so he didn't have to see this, but he didn't trust this woman. She'd probably rape the poor man.

"T-thank you, Tony," he said grateful for the man's touch. Stark could normally calm him down, but considering the man's anger was so apparent on his face he couldn't even look at him without feeling completely guilty. "Betty, I'm so sorry...I knew you were probably worried about me. But you had your boyfriend and everything at the time and...I-I just want you to live a normal life. Where you don't have to run or have to lose your family. I'm so sorry, Betty, but it's better this way. It's better if you don't see me anymore..." Bruce had gotten very quiet, the only thing keeping him from playing with his hands like he wanted to was Tony.

Betty took her hand off of Bruce. How Bruce always kept pushing her away was getting incredibly frustrating by now. She sighed, unable to comprehend that this was all happening and turned to him to see the obvious hickie on his neck. _What in the hell are you doing, Bruce?! You know you can't have sex...at least not with me... _

"Bruce...why do you keep trying to keep me away? You know I'd stay with you...But you got your boyfriend now, who probably managed to convince you somehow and, lord help me, I have no idea how to change your mind! Just keep your little boyfriend so you can play around. Apparently you can't do it with me, but the playboy over there has you wrapped around his finger," the women said, raising her voice. She wasn't at the point of yelling, but it was getting there.

"Obviously I don't or we wouldn't be sitting here. And you know what, we're not just playing around. I can understand being hurt. Bruce is amazing and losing him would kill me, but you don't have to diminish our relationship because you made the choice to stay with a different man at the time! I love Bruce, more than anything! More than my money, more than my company, more than my suit, more than sex. I left my girlfriend for him because I knew that. I'm sorry it took you too long to see he meant more to you than your boyfriend." Tony was obviously pissed, and he knew that Bruce would know he was still curbing himself to be nice. "By the way, I don't think you could change his mind. I'm just too damn sexy."

Bruce wanted to do nothing more than run and hide currently. It was still his number one instinct when it came to dealing with trouble and having two people he loved fighting was the icing on the cake. "B-Betty...T-Tony...Please don't...," the doctor mumbled unable to take a stand. This was too terrifying.

"I was trying to move on! For all I knew he could have been dead! He was missing for years! Do you know how much that hurts? I tried to say in my mind he was safe, but I had no goddamn clue! I pretended he was dead, just for sanity's sake so I could try and move on! After YEARS of the military searching without a single hint of him, I was sure he was dead. And then, a month ago, out of the blue, he shows up again. I was so grateful he could get away after I learned he was back and pardoned. I thought that we might be able to live a normal life, but...Bruce, you're still running..." Betty had risen from the couch, obviously enraged by the snarky asshole claiming to be her loves boyfriend. There were tears in the corner of her eyes that she was holding back, not wanting to give Stark more gratification.

"I'm so sorry...," Bruce whispered, unable to look at the both of them. Everything he did only hurt people, and god did it hurt back.

Tony listened to the woman's outburst understanding part of her feelings, but had it been him, he wouldn't have given up. Had it been him he would have used every ounce of his power to find him instead of relying on the military. "Then why don't you just go back to moving on because you lost your chance! You're mad because I did something _you _couldn't! I made Bruce stay. I kept him from running. We don't live a normal life because we live a better one. One full of science experiments, crime fighting, and, best of all, love making," Tony said, turning his head to give the man a passionate kiss. Bruce was probably going to be really mad at him later, but there was no way he was going to let this woman get away with making Bruce feel bad.

"Fine! Bruce! Your company is your choosing! Have fun with him! He sounds like a keeper," Betty retorted, even if Bruce wasn't the one talking, his choice in 'friends' was enough to make her leave. It was more than obvious that Bruce wasn't going to stop her as she stormed out of the room and into the elevator. "Goodbye, Bruce," she said as the elevator doors closed on her.

Bruce sat there in awe. He hadn't stopped Tony's kiss, but neither did he follow through with it. They parted to have Betty have her last spat, Banner only able to watch in horror as his first love called everything off. Everything hurt, and once the elevator doors closed he held his head in his hands. There was no ability for him to comprehend the utter pain he condemned Betty to, and he froze in shock as he stared at the door, wishing for her to come back.

Tony was happy to see the woman leave, until he looked at Bruce. His expression softened a bit seeing the man so hurt. It pissed him off to know that Bruce still cared so much for this girl, but it hurt him even more to see him this depressed. "How did your goodbye turn into a brawl between her and I?" Tony asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Bruce, I'm sorry. When she kissed you and then you still held her close I was just so mad, and then she kept making excuses and diminishing our relationship and I lost it. I'm so sorry. JARVIS, don't let Miss Ross leave."

"Yes, sir." Instantly the building was on lockdown.

Leaning back and letting his head fall on back a bit, he covered his eyes with one of his hands "Go after her, I won't go this time. Go talk to her and get a proper conversation in."

Bruce turned to Stark, utterly shocked by what he was offering. He quickly pulled the man in for a hug and kiss, but just as soon he was sprinting to the elevator.

"What the hell?! Why isn't this opening?" Betty said angrily as the doors to Stark Tower were not responding at all.

"The building is on lockdown, Miss Ross. Please wait for the proper time to exit," JARVIS said overhead.

"What the hell is goi-," Better turned around. In the elevator was Bruce, standing there quietly but rushed out to give the woman an embrace. She fidgeted angrily at first, but it subsided. The doctor was there to comfort her, not to be a wallflower this time.

"Betty, oh god, I'm so sorry. Please, I know how hard everything must have been for you. And it's entirely my fault, continue to blame me, please. I ran from you, I know. I'm sorry. And yes, I tried to run from Tony too. But, my god, he convinced me to stay. That man actually made me stay. I know right now he seems like an ass, and he's like that to a lot of people, but I know him more. He's special, Betty, and I love him. I still love you too, you'll always have a place in my heart, but...I-I'm not the one for you. I'm so sorry, Betty. I really am. I wish I could have given you a real goodbye last time before I was chased off. I don't blame you for being mad at me. You have all rights to feel that and maybe it's better that way. But, my place is here, with Tony. I-I'm sorry," Bruce was listing everything off he wanted to say. At times it sounded rambly, but it was him being nervous with the woman he cared for in his arms. All he could hope for was that she wouldn't try to kill him from being so mad.

"You really need to stop apologizing, Bruce." She gave a weak smile and a light kiss on his lips. "You're getting better at talking for yourself. I'm glad. And I understand, you have an asshole-ish boyfriend, but if you think it's right, then who am I to judge? Good luck, Bruce. I love you. I'd tell you goodbye here, but apparently this place is on 'lockdown'."

Bruce gave a weak smile and let her go. "I love you too. You can thank the asshole for that. But I really should too. Are you sure you don't want to stay for dinner? Dummy may make the worst, and possibly the most dangerous, food I've had in my life, but it at least makes the meal more enjoyable. Keeps you on your toes," he asked with a chuckle. It was amazing to see her not completely hate him.

"Depends on whether or not I'm allowed to leave when I take the offer," she gave a giggle of her own. "I'll try to behave if he does."

Bruce beamed and gave a nod. They walked alongside one another, respecting the distance as they went up in the elevator, back to the lounge where they came from. Before the door opened, Bruce whispered a "thank you," to the girl, but also to Stark who allowed him to at least rekindle a friendship.

Tony watched the two on the TV as they spoke. The best thing he ever did was install those cameras. _She kissed him again. I swear to god I'm going to kill this woman. You don't love him. If you loved him, you wouldn't have given up on trying to find him so easily. Bruce...why do you love her? How can you love us both? Would you really be choose me over her if you weren't in a relationship with me already? _

Tony's jealousy was quickly turning to insecurity. No matter what he did, Betty would always be Bruce's first real love and she would always hold a special place in his heart. It just wasn't fair. Seeing them coming up, Tony turned off the TV and sat in silence waiting with his head back and his eyes closed. He really didn't want to see them together anymore.

"Um, Tony, Betty's going to be joining us for dinner," Bruce said quietly as he walked into the room. He leaned over and gave a sweet kiss on his lips to wake him up; embarrassed that Betty was watching not even ten feet away. Banner brushed his hair, trying to wake him up and backed away slightly to let him process what was happening.

Betty looked slightly uncomfortable, but Bruce seemed genuinely happy to be with the man and she gave a small smile to it. Seeing Bruce really happy was always something she'd wish for him. She grabbed her arm, scratching it lightly as she tried to find a way to talk to Stark. "I'm sorry for my outburst earlier. It was uncalled for. I see that Bruce really cares for you, and if he does, then that's enough reason for me." She gave a small smile at the end of her sentence, not even forced.

Stark opened his eyes, giving a small smile of his own to the sweet kiss. No matter how mad he was, Bruce could always calm him down with such a small gesture. Betty thought Tony had Bruce wrapped around his finger when, in all actuality, it was the other way around. He raised his head to look at Betty as she spoke. "I provoked it. The green eyed monster got the best of me and I didn't control it."

It was a bad pun, but Stark thought it fitting of the situation. He never said he was sorry, but it was as close to an apology as Tony could get without it being a major situation or having Bruce threaten to revoke his physical contact privileges. Standing, he stretched a bit before putting an arm around Bruce's waist and pulling him close to whisper in his ear "Don't think I'm going to let you get away with those kisses, I'm adding them to your tab."

With that, he released the man before turning back to Betty. "Miss Ross, would you like to stay the night? We're leaving on a business trip tomorrow, but I'm sure Bruce would feel much more at ease knowing you left for home after a good night's rest. Also, it'd help us make sure Dummy doesn't kill you with his food."

Betty nodded at Stark's 'apology'. She wasn't really expecting one from him considering how he acted in the few minutes of her knowing him, but it would suffice. The offer though, was appreciated. She had yet to find a hotel to stay at in the Big Apple and if Bruce was leaving tomorrow, might as well get to spend as much time as possible. "I'd appreciate that," she said with a smile.

"Thank you, Tony. Is there a room for her to stay that I haven't, erm, destroyed partially?" Bruce said awkwardly. He appreciated the offer and he knew that it would also be added to his tab. He remembered the Hulk smashing his bed from last night and a dresser in another guest room. It made him wonder how many of everything was in the Tower, especially from the unexplored areas.

"Bruce, there are over 90 floors here and you think I only have two guest rooms? I just put you in the one on the same floor as me so I could keep an eye on you," Tony gave Bruce a look that said the eye was not for the purposes of the Hulk. He laughed to himself a bit. "Miss Ross, I'll have JARVIS set up a room for you while we eat dinner, do you prefer a firm or soft bed?"

Tony was being a lot nicer than usual, but it was all because he knew that in just a few hours he and Bruce would be halfway around the world in a situation where Betty couldn't contact them. It also helped that Tony felt he was more likely to get Bruce to fool around with him if he was nice.

"Soft would be nice," she said to the odd question. This guy was definitely loaded, and apparently it was still a surprise to Bruce. At least he wasn't in it for the money.

"S-sorry," Bruce said blushing, Tony's look was making the hint so obvious he thought he'd pass out with Betty there. He gestured to the dining area for everyone to sit down, trying to hide his embarrassment. Hopefully, Dummy would be done making their poison soon enough.

Tony pulled out his high-tech phone and made the arrangements clear for JARVIS. Dummy for once had made a dish that tasted pretty good, in a 'the school cafeteria made mac and cheese' kind of way. The mac and cheese lacked some cheese, but there was enough to provide a taste. Tony was worried about conversation. It wasn't going to be easy talking without Betty and or him striking a nerve.

The silence was awkward, but something Betty was used to for working with Bruce for years. She gave a smile as she at the meal and a chuckle. Wanting to make some conversation for the both of them she started simple. "This isn't nearly as lethal as you made it out to be."

Bruce gave a laugh as he barely ate. He wasn't hungry at all from the terror he had felt earlier, but he still wanted to be polite since he invited the girl back. "It's amazing. Dummy's outdoing himself now," Banner said with a grin as he played with the noodles.

"Even Dummy can do well sometimes. I mean if I can make an omelet I'm sure he can make mac and cheese well given enough time," he said with a small smile. "Betty, I'm sure you would have laughed. Bruce and I got into a contest to see who could make the most awful tasting food without killing us. I won, but Bruce's face after taking a bite was hilarious! To this day I've never seen him express so much emotion!" Tony laughed at the memory.

Betty let out a sweet laugh. The prospect sounded hilarious. "Sounds like you two have been having fun. Surely you have a lab or two in this place? It's huge enough to have at least one, considering your investment in tech Mr. Stark," Betty said politely as she ate. Since she was here, she was curious to more about the giant Tower. And since Stark was the leader in clean energy, this was probably made mostly of his inventions.

Banner gave a blush, remembering the situation. Right after he had gotten his second kiss from Tony, which only made him blush even more. "There's quite a few. That and R&D floors. But, I think you'd appreciate the Gamma Lab the best," he gave a small smile. They had worked together on the project that eventually lead to the accident. It was where he met and fell in love with her.

"Yup, te- nope now eleven floors for R&D. All stocked with new toys and the perfect work playlist," he said with a small smile. Inside he felt a little twinge seeing the man smile at her like that after mentioning the Gamma Lab. He prayed Bruce wouldn't take her down there. That was _their _lab. Tony had designed it special for the two of them even before he had fully come to terms with his feelings. It was where they celebrated Bruce's birthday, where they had sex for the first time. It was the closest thing to a sacred place Tony had. It wasn't something he wanted to share at all.

"Now _that_ sounds like a more enjoyable time," Betty said with a smile. Soon they were done with their meal, Bruce could only handle half of what he was originally given. "Do you mind if I check out the lab? It'll kill some time before everyone should go to bed. I don't know how early you two need to be up for your business trip. I would really appreciate a ride to the airport tomorrow, too. Sorry." She felt bad for having to ask so much from them, since she'd already be staying for the night and needed a ride. At least she had the money for a plane ticket back home.

Bruce started to open his mouth to talk, but was quickly cut off by Tony interjecting.

"Sorry, I spilled some of Bruce's blood while working today. I had Dummy clean up the majority, but with all we've been doing I'd rather give it a night before letting someone other than Bruce in there," he said, keeping his tone completely professional. Tony was a businessman he knew how to lie with a straight face. He only prayed Bruce could see through to know it wasn't something that he wanted to the man to just go and cleanup for him so they could go in, it was an excuse to keep the woman out of their territory. "I'd be happy to give you a tour of any of the other labs if you like."

"Oh...Right, sorry about that," Bruce said, scratching the back of his head. He turned to Tony so the girl couldn't see and gave an 'I'm sorry' look. It was obvious Stark didn't want her in there and who was he to infringe on wants of the man who owned the place.

"Ah, alright. I'll be happy to visit any of the labs," she said, trying to hide her disappointment. It would have been a real experience with the tech Tony could come up with, but maybe there would be another time.

"You should see the lowest floor lab, it has the oldest toys, but it also has a lot of my first inventions," he smiled, a bit proud. Standing, he led the way to the elevator. He was definitely going to distract the woman while he played with Bruce a bit. Nothing was more fun than seeing the man turn such a bright color of red.

"Sounds like a plan," she said as she followed the man, Banner right behind her. Currently, there was no need to be too hostile to Tony, but she kept her eye out for any of his subtle sarcasm that could be taken the wrong way.

Bruce was glad that the two were getting along for now. Plus, he hadn't been on the first floor of R&D since he got to the Tower. The gadgets there were high tech enough to impress him, even if they were some of Stark's earlier work. He had to admit, the man was a genius after all.

Stark took them down to the lab and smiled showing them the gadgets that he had made when he had just started on the Tower. There were even some early blueprints for the arc reactor. Of course, it had a big X over it because it was all wrong. As they walked around, Tony slowly moved closer to Bruce, getting behind him somehow. While he was explaining a particular gadget one of his hands inconspicuously made its way to Bruce's ass, giving a it a light squeeze every now and then.

Betty was enjoying the tour. For an ass, Stark was knowledgeable, a genius none the less. It wasn't a surprise that he ran Stark Industries, was Iron Man, an Avenger, and still had time to make things like this. To say the least, she was impressed.

Bruce had tensed up indefinitely as Stark played with him. It felt amazingly nice after the stressful day he had and a blush instantly crossed his face. There was a wanting for the pleasure, but the fear of showing it in front of Betty terrified him. He quickly went to move away from his problem, trying not to let the girl notice his sudden awkward movements.

Tony smiled, seeing the man's bright blush. After finishing the tour, he moved close to Bruce to whisper in his ear while Betty looked at the last gadget. "Why don't you show Miss Ross to her room while I run a bath for us to take after a quick shower?" With that, he kissed the man's cheek gently with a small smile. Tony had wanted a bath with the man earlier today and what he wanted, he got. No ifs, ands, or buts.

Bruce's blush reddened more after the suggestion, the kiss only sealing in the heat to his face permanently for the evening. He nodded and went over to Betty's side. "If you're done, I'll take you to your room for the evening. Um...It's really big, just warning you," the doctor said embarrassed. The first time he saw the guest room Stark offered for him, he thought the man was playing a joke. Then again, having a mud hut upgraded to a suite might have been a bit of a culture shock.

Betty gave another smile and nodded after looking over the device. Everything there was fascinating, but if they were going to be leaving early tomorrow then it would be best to get to bed. "Sure," she said and then turned her attention to Tony with a small smile. "Thank you for letting me stay here. I appreciate it."

The two walked into the elevator as JARVIS took them to the designated floor. It was about fifty floors below where Tony and Bruce shared their room, probably an extra feature Stark had told the machine when it was planning the arrangements. They walked side by side to where JARVIS directed them to go. Bruce opened the door to once again, a large room filled with extravagant items. Betty's mouth hung open in awe at the room.

"Wow...You weren't kidding," she said while looking around.

"I had a similar reaction when I first came here." He gave a small chuckle and walked to her side. Banner gave her a warm hug, happy to know she was safe, and whispered into her ear. "Goodnight, Betty."

"Goodnight, Bruce," she said with a smile. The girl moved to kiss him on the lips, but caught herself and instead kissed the man's cheek instead. Banner gave a nod and let the women go, going back up the elevator to his own room.

Tony had started the water for the bath before turning on the shower so the water could heat up a bit. He stripped down, waiting for Bruce. This time he wasn't going to watch him. He was going to trust him not to get too cozy with the woman. The seconds felt like hours as he waited for the man. He couldn't believe how insecure having that woman around made him feel. It was the first time he ever felt inferior to someone. This was not okay.

"Tony?" Bruce asked as he walked into the empty bedroom. He could hear the water flowing and he started to unbutton his shirt as he entered the bathroom. Walking in, he saw Stark bent over the tub and he stopped in his own blush. The man had a mighty fine ass and his teasing earlier hadn't gone unnoted. Banner turned his head, trying to give the man some privacy. He was really grateful for Tony today, even if he had caused him more stress in twenty four hours than he had in years.

"Tony, I wanted to say thank you. For today. I...I really appreciate it," the doctor said as he blush grew, at least this time it was partially hidden from steam and his own ability to hide his face in front of anyone. He tried to undo the rest of his shirt, but his hands fumbled before him in his own nervousness.

Tony turned to see the man fumbling with his shirt. He couldn't help but give a small smile as he moved to the man and began unbuttoning his shirt for him. "There's no need to thank me. I almost screwed it up completely. Though I will say, nothing has _ever _pissed me off more than seeing her kiss you. It didn't help that you didn't reject it immediately, and then stood there with your hands on her waist."

His tone had darkened a bit. It was obvious he wasn't just pissed about it. He was infuriated. It showed in his eyes too, not even the hurt and insecurity could be seen past the pure anger that he held for the fact that happened. He was jealous, purely jealous and he knew that this time he had a right to be.

"I...I'm so sorry...You have every right to be mad at me...You really surprised me though. Despite all that...you still let me go and get her back. So I didn't have to lose her...You must really love me, thank you." Bruce had tears in his eyes. It pained him to know how much he must've hurt Tony today. It was ridiculous. Like earlier, he felt like he needed to just wrap himself up and hide under the covers of the bed. But he waited for Tony to finish unbuttoning his shirt before he pulled in the man for a tight and passionate kiss, tears falling down his face while he embraced him. When they parted, the doctor wiped the tears on his shirt sleeve.

"T-Thank you for loving me," he said with a weak smile. It twitched at the corners of his mouth, trying to become a full wail of pain. He held it back, trying to be stronger. There had already been enough emotional overflow and the pain in his stomach didn't help aid him in his endeavour.

Seeing Bruce cry, Tony's expression softened. No matter how mad he was, he couldn't stand to see the man crying. Tony kissed the doctor back, placing his hands on Bruce's hips before chuckling a bit. "And she thought I had _you _wrapped around _my _finger. Bruce, how am I supposed to be mad at you when you treat me so nicely?"  
Tony stroked the man's hair softly, kissing his temple gently. "Bruce, no matter what you do. No matter how mad or jealous or hurt I am, you somehow manage to fix all of that with a kiss. How can I not love you? But I swear to god, if she pulls that shit again, I'm getting the suit and I am dropping her in the Sahara desert fifty miles from any form of civilization, understood?"

"I-I'm sorry," Bruce said with a nod, wiping his eyes one last time. The pain in his stomach was subsiding. Tony was, in his own way, forgiving him and that was enough to put a smile on his face. It wasn't like he wanted to do it again. He may love her, but Tony was his and there was more love for the man than anyone else. He nuzzled into the Stark's naked chest, enjoying the warmth from him and the steam in the room.

When he finally collected himself, he pulled away to actually get a good look at Tony, causing him to blush. Stark was fully presenting himself and he liked what he saw, which caused his blush to deepen. From the billionaire's package to his chest, Bruce didn't know where to look without feeling like he was intruding on the man's privacy and decided to let his eyes settle for the arc reactor. His blush and franticness was all too apparent.

"S-shall we take a shower now?" Banner suggested, trying to get a chance to look away. He blushed more as he turned around to remove his pants and underwear, tossing that and his shirt onto the floor.

It hurt Tony to see Bruce so upset, but he had to make sure he knew the limits of friendship and a passionate kiss with Bruce's ex-girlfriend that he still loved was way past the friendship line. He was likely to kill the woman before standing and watching that happen again like an idiot.

Tony smiled, hugging the man from behind and pulling him into the shower to let the water run over them. Reaching around Bruce from the back, he put the vanilla soap on a washcloth and began washing the man's chest for him. "Did you miss having my help in the shower this morning?" Tony asked, kissing the man's neck.

"Yes," Bruce said honestly, blushing from the contact. "I didn't want to disturb you while you were sleeping. And I made a good call from how bad your hangover was."

The doctor let out a small moan. Tony was being rather gentle with him. Add the hot water to the equation and the sensation was amazing. It sent shivers up and down his spine, causing the smaller man to tense and relax in Stark's arms. After the chaotic day Banner had been having, the little touches were what he needed.

"Sorry, I'll try to make sure that doesn't happen again. I hate missing out on a chance to touch your body," Tony said, smiling against the man's skin as he washed Bruce's arms. After giving one more kiss to the man's neck, he crouched down to wash his legs gently. He came back up to wash the man's back, spending extra time on the man's shoulders massaging them a bit. When it came to washing Bruce's private areas, Tony did it slowly, but not completely sensual. He decided that today, if Bruce wanted to fool around, he'd have to start it himself.

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't want you to touch me," Bruce let out a low moan when Tony started moving down to wash his nether regions. Even if it wasn't Stark playing with him, it was enough to excite the sexually deprived man. Blood started pooling in his groin as he started to get hard. Banner bit his lip, trying not to say anything about it in his embarrassment. He was glad the billionaire was behind him so he wouldn't have to see his beet red face.

Tony couldn't help but smile as he felt the man hardening as he washed him. It amused him how easily Bruce was turned on. He kissed Bruce's neck gently, giving it a few licks. With a devious smirk, he moved his hands away from the man's nether regions once they were cleaned. "How bad do you want me to touch you?"

"To put it simply: really fucking bad," Bruce said desperately. "As much as I can tease you that I could live for years without a person's touch, I don't think I can anymore after what you do to me."

Bruce gave a deep blush. It was true, Tony really had given him his first taste of pleasure in years and god did it feel fan-fucking-tastic. Even with his limited time, he still craved the man's body. Banner turned to give Stark to get a kiss from the man he needed. But just like his tease from his junk, the man only gave a devilish smile as he wouldn't let Banner come in contact with him. The doctor pouted, his eyes pleading for the billionaire to touch him.

Tony smiled, glad he had the upper hand in teasing today. Usually, he was so horny he couldn't wait for the man to get past his embarrassment enough to ask for it. Today he was determined. Though Bruce did make it hard already, his words were enough to turn Tony on and he knew it was only going to get worse. "Tell me exactly what you want and where."

Bruce's hands went to their normal fidgety position. This was, once again, another moment with Tony where he had to be too forward for his liking. This embarrassment was only getting worse, shown by his red face and how he awkwardly tensed up just by thinking about what he wanted.

"I-I want you...erm...inside me again...," Banner turned his head away to say it. There would only be too much snark on Stark's face for him to handle. The man did a good job with him on his birthday, and the thought of it was exciting enough to get him even harder.

Tony couldn't remember a time that he got hard so fast. That was the literal definition of an insta-boner. Stark pulled the doctor close and kissed him passionately. Tangling their tongues, Stark inserted one of his still soapy fingers into the man slowly. He moved it slowly and gently waiting a good amount of time before putting in the second one. When he finally got to the third finger he had brought his other hand around to stroke Bruce's manhood to distract the small man a bit. As Bruce loosened up, Tony's fingers went deeper and he began thrusting in and out quickly. He pulled his fingers out when he felt Bruce was properly prepared. He was ready to just lather his cock with soap and push into the man, but he realized something a little later than he would have liked to admit. "Um...Bruce...I don't have a..condom..."

Banner let out a loud gasp as a new finger went into his ass. The sensation was amazing, and hurt a lot less than their first experience. But with the addition to stroking him off, Bruce couldn't even speak or think to complain. He wiggled and twitched with pleasure as Tony got more aggressive and went deeper inside of him, causing his cock to harden fully. The doctor was having a hard time standing up and then the billionaire made the statement, as if to change his mind. The doctor leaned on the wall and bit his lip in frustration.

"I-I don't care! F-finish what you started!" he gasped as he gripped the wall, bracing himself for what was to come. The physicist was still regulating his breath through all the pleasure, it surprised himself how well he was learning to do it under 'stressful' situations.

Tony was quite surprised at Bruce's forwardness. It was extremely sexy, especially since it was added to the man's moans. "Gladly," he said, lining himself up with Bruce's hole before slowly pushing into him. Bruce was so warm and tight; it was the first time Tony got to make real contact with the man's rectum, considering the last time he had on a condom. It felt even better to ride bareback. It felt more intimate and there was so much more friction.

He waited a little before moving. Slowly he pulled out and pushed back in. He repeated this process, his rhythm getting quicker the longer they went. He moved his hips with each thrust until he heard a particularly loud moan from Bruce. He kept that angle every time making sure to hit the man's sweet spot as much as possible.

"Oh god," Bruce whispered after his loud moan escaped from his lips. The man was thrusting ever so nicely into his prostate and it only sent wave after wave of never ending pleasure. He synchronized his hips to move against Tony's, allowing for a harder force each time. There was nothing more blissful than having the man's giant cock fill him up and he continued to let out his moans, still keeping control of his breathing.

"Yes?" Tony mused as he moved. It felt just so damn good. This was only his second time having sex with Bruce and it was still better than having sex with random beautiful women every night. He smiled. feeling the man's hips move. It was obvious he was enjoying this just as much as he was. Tony's only problem was he was taking Bruce from behind and that meant he couldn't see the man's face nor could he kiss him.

"Sorry, I'm already inflating your ego, aren't I?" he said with a chuckle with soon turned into a heavy moan as Stark thrusted into him and held the position. Everything was so warm from his rectum to his skin. It felt like he would melt. Clutching onto the wall for more support, he bit his lip to try and hold back all the sounds he was emitting. His penis was throbbing and leaking pre cum, a warming sensation deepened in his groin. If Stark kept it up, he wouldn't even need him to stroke him off before he came.

"You tell me...can you _feel _my ego inflating?" he said in between small grunts. The joke was a bit vulgar, but Tony thought it was funny none the less. Feeling the warmth pooling into his stomach, he began to speed up his movements a bit, thrusting into him harder.

"Y-yes," Bruce grunted in response to the increased speed. He was starting to get light headed as the sensation of cumming came with full force. "I-I'm gonna cum," the doctor yelped as his promise came forward onto the tiled wall. He continued to lean on the wall, one hand clutching his heart as he took some deep breaths to calm himself down before the watch drugged him.

The afterglow continued as Stark kept his cock in the small man's ass causing Banner to moan as the pleasure continued. It was making it extremely difficult to try and calm himself down.

Bruce clamping around him made it harder to move, but it felt so good. Within two minutes, Tony felt the tight coiling and came. He didn't immediately remove himself from the man's hole. Wrapping his arms around the physicist, Tony stood there just enjoying their closeness. This was the closest they could ever physically be, and it felt magical. As he came from his afterglow Tony started to blush realizing that he had just came inside Bruce. He moved to pull out as he said, "s-sorry, Bruce. I should have pulled out, I just completely forgot I didn't have a condom on and it felt so fucking good..." He was rambling.

Bruce was starting to get pain with each thrust due to his ass contracting after he finished. When he thought it would be too much there was an odd feeling filling up his rectum. The weird sensation left a disgruntled look on Banner's face as Tony finally pulled out. Finally, he could turn around to face the man, but he was being too comical, acting like he would by rambling an apology. He gave a chuckle and pulled Tony in for a passionate kiss, having missed the feel of the man inside him both places. They parted and the doctor licked his lips to the taste of mac and cheese.

"I-It's okay. Just...help me clean up," he said with a blush as he held Stark in a warm embrace.

Tony smiled, nodding a bit after their kiss. He grabbed the washcloth, cleaning the man up gently after he quickly washed himself off. Turning off the water, he led Banner to the bathtub where he let the man sit in between his legs like he had last time. Stark had to admit, it made him really happy when Bruce did sit there. "Are you hurting?"

Stark was concerned for the man since last time he was walking bad enough for Clint to catch on. It was awful, but Tony hoped Betty saw Bruce walking funny tomorrow. He thought it would be funny as hell to find out that her 'love' was not only with a man, but that he was also on the receiving end.

"Not as bad as last time, but yeah, still hurting," Bruce said with a small smile. The warm water of the tub was helping him relax and that was the most he needed. He leaned back into Tony's arms, enjoying being between the man. He gave the man a peck on the cheek as he snuggled into a comfortable position.

"I...might be walking funny on the airplane," he said embarrassed. One thing was sure, he was going to try his damnedest to not let Betty see him like that.

"Well, it is _my _private jet, so not a lot of people are going to see you. Though, I never have issues with walking with you when you're 'walking funny'. Matter-of-fact, it just boosts my ego a bit more. I got the absolute best person out there, so I win." With that, Tony kissed the man's head.

After Tony said that he wished he hadn't. It just brought back every feeling of insecurity he had had before. The fact remained that Bruce would probably be with Betty right now if he wasn't already in a relationship with Tony. It hurt his heart. "Hey, Bruce... I know you love me, but...do you love me more than Betty?"

"Tony...," Bruce whispered quietly, the knowledge of how badly he hurt this man arising once again. "I'm so sorry about all of this. I really am..."

He cupped the man's head and he turned around to sit in his lap to face him, his legs folding around Stark's waist as he tried to sit appropriately. "I love you more than anything. I swear. You're...different from Betty. Somehow, you've become even more special than her and I thank you for it. You've given me so much that no one else could have ever done for me or ever dared to do for me. I love you."

Banner gave the man another passionate kiss, wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him closer. Everything felt better when he had Tony in his arms. With all the warmth from the man and the tub, he just wanted to stay there and try to mend the pain he gave to Stark.

Tony smiled at the man's answer, kissing him deeply back. It was a sign that everything was going to be okay. He wrapped his arms around Bruce's waist, letting him know that he wasn't mad. When they pulled apart, Tony asked another question this time in a more joking tone. "So, you like my body more than hers?"

Bruce was caught off guard by the question. It was like comparing apples to oranges to him. "W-Why are you making this a competition?! O-Of course I find you attractive and all and I find her attractive, but that's two different things. I mean Betty's pretty and all. Wait, no, stop! I know you're really sexy and you can turn me on so fast, b-but that's not the only thing! I mean you're really handsome and you're pretty in your guy way and dammit! Y-Yes. The answer is yes. Make me stop, oh god!"

Banner's face was a bright red and he couldn't readily look at Stark while he was babbling. It was too forward, but somehow he managed to answer the question. He was near the point of hyperventilating, he looked around the room to try and distract himself while he attempted to get his breathing corrected.

Tony almost felt bad when Bruce had complimented Betty, but the feeling was quickly gone once Bruce started rambling. Amazingly, he got the answer out and it had been the exact one he was hoping for. "I turn you on so fast huh? Just how fast?"

He asked kissing the man's now exposed neck. He sucked on it making sure to leave another mark there. Bruce should know better than to turn his head. It left his neck defenseless and Tony loved attacking his neck.

"N-Not as fast as you want me right now! I-I need a cool down time before we start that back up again! I don't have you endurance," Bruce stammered. He was flustered and the sucking on his neck felt good, so he could barely try to resist the man. But like he said, he didn't have Stark's endurance, even if the man barely touched his cock while they had their fun. Still, he rested there, clinging onto the billionaire. Unable to move and really protest against his actions.

Tony chuckled a bit against the man's neck. As soon as he was sure he marked the man well again, he stopped to just sit and relax, holding Bruce. Slowly, he began rubbing the man's back, the soft skin feeling amazing. He gave a gentle kiss to the man's cheek before smiling "You know, I really love you," he whispered.

Bruce's blush only grew as he leaned in closer on the man, hugging him softly and returning the back rub he was receiving. The doctor nuzzled his head on the crook of Tony's neck and gave it a sweet kiss. "I really love you too."

The small man felt safe, the only place he could. Stark really was the one for him and he could feel it. After a few minutes of cuddling, Bruce realized how awkward his position on top of the man was. His bum was still hurting from their previous antics and he winced when he tried to move away.

Stark slowly and reluctantly helped the doctor down back to be in between in his legs. He stroked the man's hair gently. He hugged the man tightly. He loved seeing Bruce blush and squirm when he said affectionate things. "Hey, Bruce. If I were to propose to you, would you say yes?"

Bruce nearly choked on nothing when he heard Tony speak those words. _What are you doing, Banner? _the thought came into his head and quickly shook it away. He fidgeted with his hands, not knowing what to do to himself. He was going to have to leave; being completely bound to Tony would only make it worse for when he had to leave.

"T-Tony...I-is that really a good idea...?" Bruce stuttered quietly into his hands.

Tony was enjoying seeing the man squirm until he heard his answer. _He wouldn't say yes? Why the hell not? I thought he loved me. _He was glad the man couldn't see his face because he was sure his pain was written all over it. "Of course. It's what people who love each other do right?"

"Y-Yes, b-but we've only been together for a month and...well...I-I won't be around for long periods of time and...I just want what's best for you, Tony...I love you," Bruce spoke softly into his hands, trying to get the words out. Of course he loved the man, but this commitment, it seemed too strange for Tony. The man was a playboy before he met him and now after only knowing him for such a short amount of time, was talking about marriage. It didn't seem right.

"What's this all about, Tony...?" The doctor fidgeted while asking; afraid he would hurt the man more.

"I was just curious, but mostly I wanted to see you blush and squirm. I think it's adorable when you do, and your rambling is just so cute, I can't help myself sometimes. Just like the first time I kissed you. It was a joke to see you blush and squirm. That, in the end, felt natural and perfect. Speaking of which, can I have one of those kisses now?" he asked, trying to change topics fast before either of them got too hurt about the subject.

"Tony...," Bruce whispered as he slowly turned around, trying to avoid hurting himself again. He knelt in between the man's legs and dared to look at his eyes. Banner's own gave him his wordless apology, he knew Tony wouldn't accept it if he said it out loud. He pulled Stark in towards him, holding him lightly by the waist. The doctor closed his eyes and gave the billionaire a slow and passionate kiss. His tongue taking its sweet time exploring the man's mouth as a hand wandered up to Tony's cheek, brushing it at the same slow pace across the stubbled skin. When he parted, he opened his eyes again, looking at the sweet lips he separated himself from and gave them one small kiss before taking his head back farther.

"I love you, Tony. I really really do...," he said quietly after his actions spoke for him. His hands were back into fumbling with themselves, hoping that his love was alright. The man's eyes were unable to look back at the obviously hurt ones; he'd seen it enough times in his own eyes to not mistake it. Instead, he ventured to look at Stark's lips. It was the only thing to make it seem like he was looking at his face, plus, the man's lips was one of the softest and warmest parts of the man's body, making it Banner's favorite. What wasn't there to love about it?

Tony hadn't expected a full make-out session, but he was never one to protest to it. He kissed the man back, sucking on his tongue as it explored his mouth. He couldn't help but let out a small moan as they kissed. Nothing made him feel Bruce loved him more than his kisses. Be it a quick peck or a hot and heavy make-out session, Tony could always feel the man's love through them. "I love you too, Bruce. I love you more than carbon loves fluorine."

He let out a small smile at his extremely nerdy joke, but he meant it. He loved Bruce so much. Even if it was Hulk 99% of the time, Tony would wait for the man, ready to accept him with kisses, hugs, and tea. Tony knew there was no way he could go back to a playboy lifestyle after feeling this love.

Bruce gave a chuckle at the joke, letting the smile on his face stay. He gave the man another hug before retracting back. The doctor attempted to get up, but moving from his position was impossible with the way his ass was settled. It may have been feeling better, but it still hurt. "Umm...Tony? I'm stuck again...," he said embarrassed, scratching the back of his head.

"Well, we might as well get out before the water gets cold. Wrap your arms around my neck," Tony said, placing a hand on the man's bum to support him as he stood up. As soon as he could stand without the help of his other hand, he placed that one under Bruce too. Grabbing a couple towels as they walked out, Tony put Bruce in a computer chair so he could start drying the man off. As he dried Bruce off, he made conversation. "Are you excited for the trip tomorrow?"

"That's one word for it," Bruce said, playing with his hands as Tony dried him off. He could do it himself. He just needed help getting up, but he didn't want to complain while Stark was being nice enough to oblige. The doctor was looking forward to spending time with Tony outside of the Tower. He hadn't been to the country in a long while as well. The only problem would be the big green one that would show up periodically and get a vacation of his own. The other guy already made it known that he was still in debt, there might even be a time extension. He knew the other guy long enough to know the drill.

"A-are you?" Banner said nervously, trying to keep the conversation alive. He was much better at having a silent one, but with Tony, that wouldn't fly.

"Of course I am. I fully intend to call your tab over these next two weeks. You're going to be so sore, not even the Hulk will walk straight," he teased as he finished drying the man off. After drying himself off, he lifted Bruce up, putting him in the bed. Crawling over him, he gave him a gentle kiss. This was a position he liked because he could easily see Bruce's eyes, even when the light was out thanks to the arc reactor. "You're incredibly sexy. Have I ever told you that?"

"From some reason unbeknownst to me, yes. I think I'm allowed to question your taste in men at that point," Bruce laughed. There was no way in hell he could be sexy. This was the man who tried to eat fish as a turn on. That and he wasn't going to go out modeling like his lover would. "And I'm not sure the other guy will appreciate that. I'm sure he'll be a pain in your ass if you do."

Banner basked in the glow of his personal night light. He could see Stark staring at him from above and, like always, caused him to blush. The doctor turned his head to the side, thinking for some reason it would allow him to hide in plain sight like he normally could.

"Bruce, you really should stop turning your head to me, it leaves you defenseless," he whispered in the man's ear before moving to suck on his neck again. He was going to teach the man that if he was going to turn his head, then Tony was going to take advantage of it. "I like to see your eyes and kiss your lips better, but I don't mind marking your neck up."

"Mmm, I'm sorry," Bruce moaned. He tried to move his neck back to its normal position, but Tony wasn't done having his fun yet. He could feel the bruise forming and when Stark finally relinquished the man, he turned to rub it.

"You know, you get quite violent when you mark your territory," he laughed slightly as he looked up into his eyes.

Tony licked his lips a bit. "Let's just say be grateful for that blood of yours because it's the only thing keep you from getting some very 'special' treatment." Tony looked into the man's eyes with a smile. Those dark brown eyes that he loved so much. "I was completely serious about the tattoo. I think that'd be awesome."

"Thank god my blood will save me from that too. Don't want anyone getting radiation poisoning for such a thing," Bruce said with a smile, actually grateful for the fact he had to be constantly worried about getting a paper cut. He continued to look up, the love in Tony's eyes all too apparent. It was practically a miracle that he could see that sort of intent directed at him from anyone else.

"Don't worry, Bruce. I'll find a way, you know I will," he leaned down and whispered in his ear. "I want it, and I _always _get what I want" With that he licked the shell of the man's ear before kissing his temple. He purposefully wasn't pushing too far. They were both still Stark naked and Tony really didn't need much more incentive than that to get another hard on. "We should go to bed. We have to leave early to take Miss Ross to the airport."

"Don't I know that," Bruce said after a shiver traveled up his spine. Stark _always_ did get what he wanted. But after the man stopped fooling around and was serious, he gave a nod.

"Yeah, we should. Goodnight, Tony. I love you. Thank you," Banner gave a small smile as he pulled Stark towards him so they could cuddle. As much as the doctor liked to spoon, he could get all the warmth and wouldn't have to deal with the embarrassment by having to look at the man, all he wanted to do was rest his head on Tony's. He snuggled into him, making sure his butt was comfortable in the soft satin beneath him and gave the man a final kiss before he tried to go into a slumber. It was going to be a difficult task, with everything that was to come, it would be nearly impossible to turn off his brain.

"I love you too, Bruce. Sweet dreams," he whispered as he stroked the man's hair gently with one hand and rubbed the man's back with his other. He held the man close, trying to get his warmth, his scent. It only felt better having nothing in between them to hinder the contact. He could feel himself drifting off slowly. Before he fell asleep he cracked a small smart ass smile before saying, "so, that was a no? You wouldn't say yes if I proposed?" It was obvious he was just teasing the man a bit before falling asleep.

"I didn't say that," Bruce whispered back. There was a blush on his face and the comment only made his mind wander farther. The only thing really calming him down was the warmth and contact Tony was providing him with. Only Tony Stark could possibly clear his mind with the thought of the other man. It was amazing and the more he thought about the billionaire, the more at ease he got. He really loved the man and he drifted off to sleep with the only one who could truly take over his mind.

Tony couldn't help but blush at the man's comment, but he smiled. He kissed the top of the man's head before closing his eyes. It wasn't long until he drifted off into a wonderful slumber grateful to have Bruce. He now knew how lucky he was that the Hulk existed.


	19. Chapter 19 Flight

**WHOA HEY! IMPORTANT HEADER :D Hello you beautiful people! We're still not dead! Hell! We're very much alive! And people! People who are going to Youmacon this weekend in cosplay. And what cosplay you ask? Science bros of course! I will be the very lovely Bruce Banner, as I rightfully should be, and my partner is none other than Tony Stark. If you're in the area, try and find us! We love you people are your wonderful comments or just hang out or be creepy. Which ever. All is good :)**

**With that, I'm sorry for having no time to do this. I shall try to be more competent for your pleasure :(**

**WE DO NOT OWN MARVEL OR ITS CHARACTERS. WE'RE STILL SORRY THAT WE HAVEN'T BOUGHT THEM OUT YET.**

Chapter 19 - Flight  
Bruce woke up first like normal, his first sight being the sleeping face of Tony Stark. He gave a smile as he kissed the man's forehead. He laid there, not wanting to wake up the man. Stark's comment rang in his ear last night along with his response. He was grateful enough to give an answer while still not providing one. There was no way he could promise to commit, not with the potential future of him not existing becoming ever more evident.  
"I love you. I really really do," he whispered, stroking the man's hair. Banner meant it, but he already knew all the pain he caused him and of course that always stung. But in his arms, he could forget that. It felt like he could actually help the man, love him, and be loved in return. It was bliss.

Feeling quite a bit of movement around him, Tony assumed Bruce was awake, smiling a bit as he opened his eyes to see the man. Most importantly he saw those beautiful dark brown eyes that at the moment seemed to scream the love he had for Tony from the heavens. Tony leaned his head a bit to give the man a gentle kiss. He didn't speak, fearing the sound might break this moment of absolute perfection. At that moment he wanted everything to be said purely through their eyes and gestures.  
Gently he ran a hand through the man's hair, letting it rest on the back of the man's neck, his thumb making gentle circles in the side of the man's neck. Using the other arm, he pulled the man a bit closer tangling their legs. This was probably the longest Tony had ever been quiet around the man without being sleep or something being horribly wrong.

The doctor appreciated the silence Tony was giving. He was radiating with love and no words were necessary. As much as he loved being there to enjoy the moment, they had somewhere they needed to be.  
"Did I manage to make _the _Tony Stark speechless? Wow," he gave as snarky lopsided grin and kissed the man on his forehead once more. "We got to get going, don't we? Time to get up. We need to make sure everyone else is ready to go too."

Tony turned a bright red at the man's comment. _That_ was not what he had been expecting and he had no snappy comeback. Instead he smiled and kissed the man back. "They better be ready or I'm leaving them here."  
Reluctantly, he untangled himself from the man. As he walked he swayed his ass sensually and bent over way more than necessary when it came to getting underwear from his drawer. As he was bent over he turned his head to see if Bruce was staring.

Bruce turned a bright red noticing how obvious Tony was flaunting himself. Without even realizing, he followed the man to where he bent over. Seeing Stark peer at him caused his face to erupt in a beet-red colour where he turned his head to another corner of the room, trying to respect his privacy after utterly failing at it.  
Feeling too embarrassed, he jumped out of bed to go hide in the closet to change. He picked out a pair of boxers and threw them on quickly, along with some beige slacks and a purple dress shirt. He also looked at how his huge supply of clothes had steadily dwindled. For the vacation he was definitely going to have to reuse clothes, and knowing Tony, that would be unacceptable. On the floor was the worn pants from yesterday that he had outgrew and took his ID card from to pocket it.  
When he came out, he saw Stark mostly dressed this time. There was still a prominent blush on his face. "I'm going to grab my bag from my room," he announced so he wouldn't worry. He quickly ran to go and grab the item and brought it back to sort through the closet. The only thing in it was his revolver. His face hardened as he held the item in his hand, remembering everything relating to it. It was his incentive for living. He couldn't kill himself, so might as well help people, but it wasn't like there was a need for the incentive. Stark had helped improve his life indefinitely. He walked out of the closet to place the item in the night stand where his glasses were perched. Pocketing the glasses, he turned around and went back to place his remaining clothes into his bag.

Tony smiled, seeing the man turn a bright red. It was amusing how quickly the man was flustered. When Bruce went to the closet, Tony got dressed in a tee-shirt and jeans which he'd have to change as soon as they got to the hotel so he could go to the business meeting. When Bruce came out the closet, the first thing Tony noticed was that there were no longer a decent amount of Bruce's clothes in there. With the massive amounts of Hulk outs, it must have quickly diminished his clothing supply. The next thing Tony saw was the revolver. He wanted to say something. To the point, he had to bite his tongue not to. He didn't want to taint this vacation with any bad blood. "I'll have clothes sent to our hotel room for you. Do you need a bathing suit too? And don't lie to save me money because I will strip you down and throw you in naked if you do," he half-joked.

"I'm sorry. Thank you. Yes, I need a bathing suit too," Bruce sighed, having been found out on the clothes. At least Tony's comment snapped him back into reality, able to forget about the weapon he had been keeping for years. He zipped up his bag after putting his clothing and underwear away. Nothing else was really needed of him to take. Maybe a book or two on research developments in gamma radiation, but that would be about it.  
"I'm gonna go grab a few things from the lab," he said after totally collecting himself. Swinging the not very packed bag over his shoulder, he turned to face Tony. "Shall we see if everyone else is ready after?"

"Bruuuuce, you're going to take work with you on the _vacation_?" Tony pouted a bit, obviously not approving of this at all. Pulling his ID card out, he contacted the others. "Everyone get your asses up. You better be packed because we're leaving in ten minutes." He put it in his pocket before smiling at the man "Why don't you go make sure Betty is up, I'm sure I'm not the first thing she wants to see in the morning."

"That's probably a good idea," Bruce said, referring to waking up Betty. God knows what she'd do if she had Tony yelling at her to get her ass out of bed. "But since this is your _business trip_ which means you'll be _working, _I thought I'd get something done too," the doctor said was a sarcastic smile, trying to imitate Stark's tone but not to the same level.  
He gave the man a kiss on the cheek before walking awkwardly out of the closet. The uneven distribution of weight was causing too much pressure on his already sore ass. He let out a grunt, but trudged on, trying to walk as normal as possible. At least the pain he was feeling now was nowhere near what he had the first time they went anal. Banner went down to the lab via their private elevator and picked up some books to throw in his bag. Another thing he picked up was a small screwdriver and a chip they used for their communicators in their ID cards. He pocketed the small items and went down to the floor Betty was on. He knocked on the door where he got an immediate response to come in. The girl was sitting up from half way under the covers of the enormous bed, but she must've forgotten that she had removed her clothes the previous night and had nothing but her underwear on. Bruce had a blush on his face immediately as he quickly spun around to give her some privacy.  
"I-I'm sorry. W-we're going to leave in about eight minutes so get ready," Bruce stuttered, waiting for the woman to get changed.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry. You've seen me like this before, Bruce. Calm down," Betty said groggily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She got out of bed to put on a fresh pair of clothes from her purse. "Still so modest. I'm clothed now, it's okay." She gave a small smile to know that Bruce was committing to his relationship.

"Alright," the man said, turning around, a blush still prominent on his face. "Do you mind if I see your phone?"

She gave him an inquisitive look, but handed over the device. Once handed over, Bruce quickly whipped out his screwdriver and chip, putting it in her phone with ease. He handed it back to her with a small smile. "Alright so what did you do to it?" she asked looking down at the little machine.

"I put a communicator chip we use for ID cards," Bruce said, pulling his out. "It will link you onto JARVIS's server with the right access code. For mine, it's just my name. It's a precaution because I want you safe, but...I did this if you're ever in trouble and need me. So please...try not to need me." He gave a sad smile. "If you're ready, we need to go get the others now."

Betty returned the smile and gave a nod to leave. At least there was a way to contact Banner if she ever needed, but that was only if she was in trouble. It made her slightly sad to know that's the only reason he did this for her, but she wasn't going to question his decision. He had obviously made up his mind enough times about her.

Banner walked out the girl as they made it to the main elevator. The man was trying his hardest to walk straight with her, but it still came off as awkward and forced. Betty was a keen perceiver and noticed the near side stepping and came to the hypothesis that Banner was the bottom boy. She got a devilish look on her face as she tapped the man's ass, causing him to jump forward a couple of feet. She gave a laugh as the man clutched his ass and waited for the pain to subside. Even when it wasn't his fault, he said, "I-I'm sorry."

Betty gave a grin and rubbed the man's back, helping him stand up straight. She couldn't be mad at the man. Whatever he did was his decision, but it left her curious. "I'm sorry. That was mean, but apparently my hypothesis was correct. You managed to take it without going green?"

Bruce held up his watch when he was finally able to stand up straight enough to walk. He gave a reluctant smile and drudged on. "Don't worry. Wasn't the first time that happened...I mean the hypothesis and procedure that is. But this watch Tony made, it has beta blockers in it to shoot into me if my heart rate reaches 190 bpm. Luckily, I've only had to get drugged once so far."

The girl gave a nod and a smile. Apparently he loved the man enough to take it up the ass with proper caution, and there was nothing she could really do about it. Walking into the elevator, the doors close as they go down to the parking garage.

Tony had gotten everyone up in different ways. Thor he waved coffee and PopTarts under his nose, which instantly got the man up. Cap was already up and packed, of course since he's a soldier. Widow he just opened the door and she had a gun pointed to his head. It was obvious that it was a reflex thing. Hawkeye's was the most fun, he knocked on the door and said "Hey Clint, Widow wanted to know if you'd be up for a threeway with her and Pepper."  
After he knew everyone was awake he started making his way to the garage. His phone started beeping; pulling it out to see something was just added to JARVIS's system. Immediately, he tracked where the signal came from. Whoever did it wasn't trying to be secretive about it at all. The tracking finished as soon as the doors opened. Looking in the garage, he saw where it came from and he gave Bruce a quick glare before walking in and putting an arm around the man's waist. "Good morning, Miss Ross. We'll be leaving in about five minutes. Sorry for any inconvenience."

"Good morning to you too. And it's no problem at all. Thank you for your hospitality. This was much better than finding a random hotel room at night in the big city," she gave a smile, trying not to let it be shown that she knew Tony was trying to push her buttons.  
Bruce noticed the glare Tony gave him and automatically felt guilty. It was obvious he was upset with him and gave him his 'I'm sorry' eyes. Stark's obvious jealousy was being held by the waist as he brought the two of them to the car they'd be taking. The elevator doors closed and quickly came down with more arrivals.  
"SHELL HEAD, YOU LITTLE COCK SUCKING WHORE!" Clint yelled out of the elevator, carrying way too many bags than he could handle. "Why would you tell me that!? Tasha's out for my ass as her slave, dammit! She's making me carry all the bags!"  
Thor looked confused by all of Barton's yelling, but helped the smaller man carry all of the luggage. He had a suitcase himself and he was actually wearing Midgardian clothes: a tee shirt and jeans that actually fit him. With his free hand he pulled at his shirt awkwardly. This had been his first time wearing these clothes again since his return to Midgard. Behind the two were the Captain and Agent Romanoff who was kicking Barton's ass to make him get out of the elevator faster. Hawkeye fumbled and looked up to see Tony, Bruce, and someone he didn't know.  
"Aww, come on Shell Head! You convinced Banner to have a three way?! Why do you tease me with these things?!" Clint yelled as he picked up the bags he dropped.

Tony started laughing extremely hard when he heard Clint yelling at him again. "That's not fair, though I might be cock sucking, that doesn't make me a whore." He laughed again at his vulgar joke. He really couldn't help but laugh even more at Clint's assumption. "As much fun as that would be, and it would be fun, this Bruce's friend, Betty Ross."  
Tony made sure not to say that she was their friend, he wanted her to know that he didn't see her as a friend and the fact that the only reason she was still here was because of Bruce.  
Natasha nodded at the woman having already known her. She was General Ross's daughter and worked with Bruce at one point. This was probably not Tony's happiest day if she was here. Usually Tony didn't really have any PDA with Bruce, now he's keeping him glued to his side. It was obvious to her that he was not only jealous, he was threatened. Probably not a good combination for the man who had a suit with numerous weapons on them.

Even though he was a bit disturbed by Tony and Bruce's current state of standing the Captain walked over to where the three were and shook the woman's hand. "Nice to meet you, Miss Ross. I'm Steve Rogers."

Betty stood in awe that she was actually meeting the Captain, someone thought to be dead for decades. It even made her forget the loud one's sex comment that she wanted no part of with Stark. Once she snapped back to reality, she returned the greeting. "It's a pleasure. Bruce and I worked together trying to duplicate your super soldier serum. It's amazing to be standing here talking to you."

Bruce blushed, standing there awkwardly scratching the back of his head. The reason he was there was because of their research together and their failure that resulted in his green alter ego. But honestly, he felt the same way with the Captain when he first met. Rogers was his hero as a kid, and having his hero know that he was destructive and deadly made him slightly uneasy with his first handshake with the man.

Steve blushed a bit at Betty's comment. People always said stuff like that to him. Sure he helped save the world, but he deserved no more awe than the other Avengers received. "Well, I wouldn't suggest continuing. Fighting wars with other worlds is one thing, but when fighting with other countries it's a waste of a good soldier. And any failed attempts could be...bad to say the least." Even if they were able to duplicate the serum, it took a special man to be given the responsibility and there weren't many out there that could handle it.  
Tony sighed as the limo came around. Happy got out the driver's seat and helped put everyone's bags into the trunk. "Thanks for taking us all, Happy. I'll make sure to bring you back a tee-shirt or something."  
"Thanks, nothing too inappropriate please. I'd like to be able to wear one of the tee-shirts you buy me for once." With that, they both laughed before getting into the car.

Betty gave the Captain a nod. She knew what a failed attempt was like first hand, but she wasn't going to bring that up. Again, she was flabbergasted by the sheer amount of money Stark had for him to have his own limo. It was ridiculous.  
Bruce walked over and helped the girl into the car. He was going to follow suit before another swift hand attacked his ass. Like before, he jumped into the air to here Barton snickering to himself. Clint gave him a pat on the shoulder when he came down and whispered, "You sure know how to pick em, eh doc?" Hawkeye was referring to the both of them, but he wasn't going to state that out loud. He gave the doctor a boost inside so he could be next to his love and friend. He followed suit with Widow behind him, giving him another ass kicking for, once again, invading the doctor's personal space. Thor was the next in with the Captain last; everyone was ready to go as Happy got back into the driver's seat to take them to the airport.

Tony couldn't help but laugh seeing Bruce's reaction. Once again he was torn by his need to protect what was his and the want to laugh extremely hard. He decided to do both. After he stopped laughing he looked at Clint, "Clint, are you going to do that _every time_? If you, do I'm pretty sure Bruce is going to stop having sex with me. And if that happens, I'm coming after your ass." It was a funny pun if you asked him, but he gave the man a serious look to let him know he was to stop doing that type of thing, right now. Tony took one of Bruce's hands, lacing their fingers tightly.  
Natasha moved close to Clint to whisper in his ear. "If you keep touching Bruce's ass, I'm going to start getting jealous. Stark has a pretty nice ass and remember fair exchange isn't robbery." After a moment Natasha whispered to Clint again. "Tony is extremely jealous at the moment and probably way more protective over Bruce than usual. If I were you, I wouldn't do _anything _that could possibly be mistaken as flirting."  
Steve's face was turning a bright red after hearing Stark's joke. Watching the whispering people, he figured it had something to do with Tony's oddly protective atmosphere.

Betty and Bruce had a near identical blush with everyone talking so dirty. Betty wished they'd stop talking about the man's sexual antics that he would never have done with her to protect her and Bruce wished they would stop talking so everyone wouldn't know about his personal life. It hadn't gone unnoted that Tony was being more clingy than usual, probably due to Betty. He let out a sigh and tried to sit properly with his sore ass. Everything would settle out more once Betty was back home where she was safe and away from him.  
"In your dreams, Shell Head! You owe me for all the clothes I had to buy for Mr. Princess over there! And you're going to have to deal with the hammer, along with everyone else's weapons." Clint retorted before Natasha pulled him over. He nodded and turned to Bruce. "Sorry, doc. I'll try to keep my hands off ya for now," he said, raising his hands in the air as if there were clean.  
Thor nodded as the conversations went on. He wasn't so sure why everyone was claiming asses, so he sat there quietly until he was mentioned. He gripped his hammer tighter at the prospect of what Barton told him early: that he would have to give it to someone else. "I THANK OF THEE, BARTON, BUT I SHALL NOT RELINQUISH MY HAMMER. BESIDES, NO MORTAL WOULD EVEN BE ABLE TO MOVE THE MIGHTY MJOLNIR," he boomed in the confined space.

"Thor, chill. Nobody is trying to take your hammer. It's a private jet, I can have whatever the fuck I want on it. Not to mention you guys have clearance from S.H.I.E.L.D. Why doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. help to cover the cost of Thor's expenses? Wait. Why am I responsible for paying for his clothes?" Tony asked a bit defensive. Noticing Bruce's shifting, Tony leaned down to whisper in the man's ear. "If it hurts too much, you can lay across my lap so you don't really have any pressure on it."  
Widow patted Clint on the back, letting him know he did good, but her observations didn't stop. "I think it's because Betty is around. I don't think Bruce could blink without Stark knowing about it right now. Have you ever seen him so tense before?"

"Nope," Clint said with a shrug to Natasha and turned his attention back to Stark. "I don't wanna be the one to fill out the mountain of paperwork it would take to take out loans for the big guy, so I used my own money which I want back. Plus, I didn't think it'd be too appropriate for him to show up as his royal highness on vacation." He kept making light of the situation. It was obvious Tony was bothered, but that didn't mean he wouldn't add to it.  
Bruce managed to settle into a comfortable spot silently. He gave a blush to Stark's suggestion but shook his head, refusing to accept it with so many people around. That was too intimate for him to just share with everyone, unlike Barton who would announce it to the world.

"Fine. Whatever. How much do I owe you?" Tony asked, becoming a bit more snippy. He couldn't wait for this woman to get out his car and hopefully out his life. By his life, he meant his and Bruce's. He needed to have a nice long talk with Bruce about just connecting people to JARVIS, especially people whose father would enjoy capturing the man to run painful experiments and keep him locked up.  
Natasha and Steve sighed, realizing that this was going to get worse before it got any better.

"'Bout two hundred. Clothes ain't cheap," Clint shrugged, keeping calm while everyone else felt the tension. He was never afraid to push someone's buttons and this seemed like the time to give Shell Head some hell.  
Thor was feeling better with the relief that he'd get to keep his hammer on him. The way Clint made it seem, these 'airports' would sedate him like they did when he was at the hospital. Awfully unfriendly mortals the people were made out to be.  
Betty kept quiet, along with Bruce as the fighting went on. The girl felt out of place and Bruce was just embarrassed at how much Stark was getting worked up. He definitely did to offend him other than Barton and the only reason it could possibly be was Betty, but even Stark was more behaved than that around her before. _Shit...it's probably the communicator..., _Bruce thought, finally realizing the problem.

Tony pulled out his wallet and shoved two hundred dollars into Clint's hands. He was then silent. He didn't say anything he looked straight ahead and his expression wasn't the most approachable one. He was at his last stage before snapping.  
_Oh fuck!_Natasha thought. She quickly leaned over to Clint to whisper "Clint, do not push him any further. Stark is silent. Not quite silent. He is never this silent. The only time I've ever seen him silent is when he's depressed, dead, or pissed the hell off. Tony doesn't do silent unless he's thinking really really hard. To be honest, I don't even want to know what he is thinking right now."

Hawkeye pouted, but listened to the woman. He didn't want her to get mad at him if Stark exploded. Might put a damper on the vacation sex. "Thank ya," he said, taking the money and putting it in his wallet.  
Everyone remained pretty quiet after that. The ride to the airport silent, except for the snores from Thor and Hawkeye who were leaning on one another as they both decided to take a nap from the early wake up call. Soon enough, Happy stopped the limo in front of JFK International Airport.

Tony felt an unimaginable amount of relief the closer they got to the airport. The only thing he dreaded now was their goodbye. It was bound to be something sappy and heartfelt and Tony wanted no part of it. He decided he was going to watch carefully from the limo. If she kissed him again, Tony was not going to hesitate in getting out the suit, which was just in the trunk, and flying her ass to the middle of an ocean. He wasn't sure which one yet, but it would be the middle of one.

Happy opened the door so the one who had to go through customs could funnel out. Betty started to pardon herself and make her way out. Bruce grabbed onto her shoulder for a second, just to get her attention. "Um...Do you need me to go with you to get your ticket?" he asked quietly. There was no reason for her to get harmed on the way to her flight because she was alone. Not that there wasn't a ton of security to stop anything from happening, there was just no way to stop him from worrying about her.  
"I'll be fine, Bruce. Honestly, I can take care of myself," she said with a giggle as she exited the limo, Bruce following suit.  
"Just want you to be safe is all," he mumbled, fiddling with his hands. Banner was biting his lip. He was horrible at goodbyes and even if it was for the better, he still dreaded it. The man untangled his fingers and allowed for his arms to wrap around the girl, giving her a final hug. It felt nice to feel her warmth one last time and he gave a sad smile. "I-I guess this is goodbye then."  
Betty returned the gesture and the smile. She nodded and parted from the hug. There was a longing in her eyes, but an understanding at that. Bruce had never looked in her eyes for so long before and her smile became a happier one. "Goodbye, Bruce," she said and turned around to go to her own flight.  
"Goodbye, Betty...," Bruce whispered far too late and quietly for the woman to hear. She had disappeared out of sight, yet he still looked at the doors where she just entered, frozen in place.

Tony watched from his seat in the car obviously pissed off. Anyone in the limo would be able to feel the tension emitting from his body. It was clear that had he had the suit on, Betty would be dead. Tony had been able to deal a little bit better when they hugged. Friends hugged, but when Bruce stood there watching the woman after she was long gone, it drove him crazy. He wondered if Bruce had ever looked at him so longingly.  
Natasha had been around intimidating men, but none more intimidating then Tony Stark jealous out his mind. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that he was going to Hulk out. It was a bit amusing as much as it was scary. She nudged Clint and whispered "Do something to calm him down, I'm sure the last thing Bruce needs is Tony with a large desire to murder Betty."

Clint let out a sigh and turned to Stark. "Hey, Shell Head. Your plane got any good booze and music? I think we need to show Mr. Princess how to party. Mr. Spangled-Pajamas would benefit from that too." He acted nonchalant. If anyone would party, it'd be Stark.  
Bruce finally came to his senses and shook his head, trying to put everything in the back of his mind like normal. It's how he always cooped. He let out a sigh and climbed back into the limo. "Thank you, Happy," Banner said as he passed the man, after which he closed the door and went back to his driver seat. The doctor took his spot next to Tony, obviously noticing the hate emanating from him. He fiddled with his hands, not knowing what to say to help the situation so he remained silent.

"Clint, you know I always have good booze. And my jet has a pool on it, so I need good music," Tony said with a very small smile. Partying sounded like a lot of fun, especially since it would make the Captain uncomfortable. Which he knew it would considering Steve's face was becoming redder and redder. Though his anger didn't completely disappear. Once Bruce came in, Tony stayed quiet. He was still mad, hurt even. But seeing the man's fidgeting hands, his expression softened and he placed a hand over them gently.  
Natasha was grateful that Clint had gotten Tony to smile. She'd have to give him a reward for being a good boy. Maybe she'd wear something sexy tonight and not sleep with him, instead of just not sleeping with him. She smiled at the thought.  
Steve was happy that Tony was able to joke a bit, but he really didn't like Clint encouraging Tony's drinking. Once Bruce was gone for two weeks, Steve decided he'd be spending a lot of time with Tony to make sure that he wasn't chugging bottles of scotch.

"Excellent," Clint said, sounding excited. "First one drunk has to go skinny dipping."

"THIS SOUNDS TO BE MOST ENJOYABLE FESTIVITIES. IN THE HALLS OF ASGARD WE WOULD CELEBRATE INTO THE EARLIER HOURS OF THE MORNING!" Thor piped up as soon as the topic changed to something more uplifting. He knew how to enjoy festivities and he was sure that the mortals around him knew how to do it Midgardian style. Although, their language still escaped him.

Bruce graciously accepted Tony's hands on his. It was a sign of potential partial forgiveness and that was better than none currently. He managed to even chuckle at Thor's cluelessness, but feared of the potential of Barton's promise. "Think I'll sit out on that one," he said with a blush.

"Barton, you know you're going to lose. Cap can't get drunk, Thor has a god's tolerance, Natasha is Russian, and I've developed a high tolerance. There's no way you can win," he said, challenging the man. The game of drinking was always a fun one in Tony's book, especially when he was upset. Though he couldn't look Bruce in the eyes at the moment, he was still happy to have the contact. He rubbed his thumb over the man's hands gently.  
Natasha shook her head, laughing a bit. She couldn't believe that her reason for not losing was she's Russian. That was just wrong. It was funny all the same. Stark was obviously starting to get in a better mood.  
Steve shot Barton a death glare. It was hard enough keeping Tony from drinking when he was depressed without Barton challenging him to a drinking contest when he was pissed. He was surprised Bruce wasn't saying anything to stop this.

"Ugh! If the doc was on the table, I'd have a chance," he said with a pout. There was no way he was going to lose to everyone there on his own bet.  
Thor let out a mighty laugh and clapped Clint on the back with a swing of his hand, causing the smaller man to lunge forward in his seat and land on the Captain. "EASE UP BARTON, I WILL HELP TEACH YOU THE WAYS OF THE ASGARDIANS IN DUE TIME."  
Bruce remained quiet, occasionally giving a chuckle. He knew Tony was in a bad mood because of him and that was enough to keep to himself and tell him what was wrong with him. _Hurting not one, but two...,_the thought swirled around in his head.

Once they got to the plane, Tony placed hand on Bruce's knee to keep him in the car. He leaned over and closed the door. He wanted to talk to Bruce. The first thing he did once he was next to the man was give him a gentle kiss. "I love you, so much. And I want you to know, yes I am pissed, yes I am hurt, and yes I am jealous out my fucking mind and I can't hide that. But we have these two weeks together, then we won't see each other for two weeks and I don't want to waste my time with you being mad or you feeling bad. So whatever bad feelings we have now, we need to get them out now and leave them in the car. They'll be here later if we need them."

"Tony...I love you too and I'm so so sorry...You have every right to be mad, jealous, whatever you want. I-I know I've been doing a rather...horrible job at being your boyfriend and you've been really patient with me and...thank you. I'm so sorry," Bruce said quietly after they parted their kiss. He sat in silence afterwards, twiddling his fingers once again. A pain in his stomach appearing again, always when he thought or knew he hurt someone. And it was beyond obvious he hurt Tony the most.

"I forgive you," Tony said, knowing Bruce wanted him to accept his apology. Kissing the man again, he decided now would be a good time to say everything he's felt. "Bruce, it terrifies me when she's around. I-I'm scared that she'll be able to take you away from me. Because, let's face it, no matter how amazing my cock is, I can't compete with those boobs. Then I see the way you look at her. With such love, and longing and not only do I feel jealous, I feel like I've taken you from someone you really want to be with. And that drives me crazy."

"I'm sorry," Bruce whispered, still feeling the kiss on his own lips. "But Tony...I-I've already decided years ago that it was best to leave her out of everything. With the craziness of the other guy and having to run away, it was an easier way to protect her so she wouldn't have to get hurt. I...I tried to keep that promise, but...she kept coming back. I do mean the best for her and that's not me. It was never me, but I love her all the same. It's just...this time, this time I have you. Someone I can care and love for. You've made it perfectly clear you can protect yourself...and you've made it perfectly clear you love me in return. Thank you. I love you."  
The poor man paused at places, trying to find the right words. He wanted to communicate what he felt for once, and he wanted it to be accurate as possible. He wanted Tony to let him know that he truly did love him.

Tony smiled, cupping the man's face gently. He kissed him, stroking his cheeks lightly with his thumbs. When they parted, he let the man go. "We should probably get on the jet. I've got a contest to not lose," he joked. He fully intended on stopping once Barton was out. There was no way he was taking on Steve and Thor. That would have just been suicidal.

"Alright...And I'm sorry I gave her a way to contact me. I think you already know that, JARVIS should have told you. I just wanted to give her a quick way to reach me...no, the other guy, in case she was ever in trouble...," Bruce said quietly after they parted. All joking aside, it still worried him at how Tony was so affected by him.

"It's fine, as long as it's only for emergencies. Can't have you hiking up my phone bill now can I?" It was another joke trying to put the other man in a better mood. Tony moved to the door and stopped. He turned around and kissed the man passionately, exploring his mouth. When they parted, he smiled. "I wanted one for the flight, since I figured I wouldn't be getting any until we reached Japan."

Bruce gave a smile and licked his lips. He was glad Tony was okay with his decision and gave the man a passionate kiss of his own; he even unfolded his hands to stroke Stark's face and neck as he held him close. Kissing made him feel better, a lot better. The pain in his stomach was subsiding the longer he held the contact. Finally he let go, taking a breath and moved closer to the door to leave.  
"I'd be willing to give you one...if there was a private room," Bruce said with a small smile. Stark opened the door for the smaller man and they both got out to greet the rest of their teammates, both ready to face their vacation.

Taking the case with the suit in it from Happy, Tony held Bruce's hand as they got on to the luxurious private jet. The seats were comfy and it was quite spacious since it didn't have to hold a hundred people or more. Tony smiled once everyone was in and the door was sealed. "Well, take your seats everyone. It's going to be a long ride."  
Natasha smiled when she saw the two holding hands. She knew they were doing one of two things in there: making out or breaking up. She was glad it was the first. She walked behind Clint and whispered in his ear, "good job, Agent Barton," before walking in front of him she gave his ass a good squeeze and got in the jet. Immediately, she took a seat somewhere she could sit near Clint, but not be expected to participate in stupid activities.  
Steve was relieved to see that the private time had ended with the two holding hands. It was still off putting, but he now saw it was a lot better than the alternative. He got in the large plane, amazed at all the new stuff in it. Planes had changed a lot since his day apparently.

Thor had helped Happy put away the luggage in the undercarriage of the plane. He went aboard to see the couple less tense and he beamed happily for the two. He patted Stark on the back, sending him flying forward into the Captain again like poor Barton. How weak these mortals were amused him and caused him to laugh as he took his own seat.  
Clint got an overly joyous expression on his face after Natasha passed by. He gave her a wink as if they'd get to have some sexy time later on the private plane, not that he knew anything about a private place for the two to be while among four other men. He sat next to the agent, putting his boots up on the chair in front of him.  
Bruce chuckled to see Tony fly so easily to the Captain. It was obvious from Rogers' face that he wasn't too keen to have the man on his lap, but it was amusing none the less. He took the Iron Man armour from Stark so he could try and get up, offering him his other hand to do so.

Tony gave an 'oof' when Thor 'patted' him on the back. The end result was just all the more fun. Taking Bruce's hand, he stood up with a small smile. "Jeez, Cap. If you wanted a blow job, all you had to do was ask Bruce if it was okay for me to give you one. You didn't have to put Thor up to pushing me."  
The Captain turned a bright red with the man in his lap. His hand were immediately up in the air, not sure what to do with them. Once he heard the man's words, he looked like he was going to explode. He turned to Bruce quickly. "Bruce, I swear didn't put Thor up to this! It was a mistake I promise!"

Bruce couldn't help give a good laugh at the Captain's reaction. It would have been no better than his, yet it was still pretty hilarious. "It's okay, Captain. I'm sure Thor would be eating PopTarts right now if you put him up to it," he gave him a smile as he took his own seat with Stark so the plane could take off.  
At the mention of food, Thor turned around and asked, "DID YOU BRING THOSE DELECTABLE TREATS ON BOARD? YOU MOCKED ME WITH THE POSSIBILITY OF THEM THIS MORNING ALREADY."  
Clint piped up when they were referring to the morning tease he got that lead to his punishment, "It's okay, big guy. I know the feeling."

"Well, unlike you, Clint, Thor treats me with respect. So," Tony said as he pulled out the PopTarts and handed him the box, "Only one box, sorry. Try not to devour it all in five minutes." He gave a smile taking Bruce's hand as they took off. It was all pretty funny. The Captain, Thor, Clint, they all made him smile a lot. Once they were high enough in the air to serve drinks, he kissed Bruce's cheek before getting up to serve. "So, pick your poison."

Clint gave Stark a middle finger as he rested his head on Natasha's lap, his feet still on the headrest of another chair. He was still tired from being woken up from earlier and take off was a good time to nap.  
Bruce actually took out his glasses to read his watch to time the god to see if he could handle the challenge. Took him five minutes and twelve seconds to finish the box down and he laughed. He made it last longer than five minutes, so he could give him credit for that. As the attitude changed he could feel the pressure difference in him. It was an odd sensation, but not as odd as the gamma treatments he had been getting. The doctor blushed at the kiss and settled into his chair, adjusting his ass to make sure it wouldn't be too sore for when they landed. "If I'm going to have to play this game, you pick. It'll probably put me out anyways," he said with a small smile. He didn't have to fear about his heart rate as much as normal since his watch was enough of a precaution and prevention for his problems, so a drink wouldn't kill him or everyone else on board.

Tony handed the man a glass of Pepsi, pouring one for himself, the Cap, and Thor too. They could wait for Clint before they started drinking. Sitting next to Bruce again, he leaned over and whispered, "I'm not letting you because as soon as we get to our hotel room, I intend on beginning the two week process of calling your tab and I want you to be able to remember every second of it without a headache." With that, he licked the shell of the man's ear and began nibbling on the lobe gently.  
Steve thanked Tony, taking the Pepsi. Watching the two men was becoming more of a fascination. Their complete disregard for what was right and wrong made him smile a bit. He started to blush when Tony was getting sensual though. _Does he ever rest? _  
Natasha smiled when Clint laid on her lap. Things like this made her smile, when he was doing something not to be sensual, but to be close. She stroked his hair gently, letting him relax a bit. She knew he was tired, especially after being woken up early and having to carry all the bags.

Thor took the drink from Stark. It was oddly coloured, but bubbled like that of any other alcohol. He took a sip and the drink was one of the sweetest things he'd have. He chugged it down and handed it back to Stark. Jane and at least taught him how to ask for more properly. "THIS DRINK, TIS AN ODD ALCOHOL. I LIKE IT! ANOTHER!"  
Bruce had tensed up exponentially to Tony playing with him in front of the others. It was too embarrassing and his face was flushed a brighter red than the Captain's. He quickly pulled away from Stark's teasings, knowing how his body was going to hate him once they were in the foreign country. "Good thing as soon as we get to the hotel room, you need to go to work. This is your business trip, remember?" Bruce managed to whisper after he regained his consciousness.

Tony pouted a bit before responding to Thor. "It's not alcohol buddy, it's soda. Pepsi to be exact." Tony decided not to beat around the bush and gave Thor a two liter of the liquid. He really didn't want to have to keep getting up. In all honesty he wanted to sit and tease Bruce some more which is what he intended to do. "You know, if you move away you're just making it a challenge, I like challenges."  
The Captain looked like he was going to explode now. Tony was being very obvious with his flirting. This was definitely getting a little out of hand for the man. "_SO_how's that weather?"

"AMAZING!" Thor boomed as he took out the two liter with ease. He let out a hearty belch and got comfortable in his chair. Clint had a good idea, and he was still tired like the man so he went to sleep soon enough.  
"Challenge accepted," he whispered back. Glad that the Captain spoke up he went on with the conversation. "It looks kinda cloudy right now. Can't really tell, Tony has the window seat. Think I'll move over to the free seat by you and observe it."  
Bruce did a quick sidestep and got to the window seat by Steve. If Stark was going to keep up his PDA then he was going to make it as impossible as he could. Being next to the Captain, he hoped it would stop Tony's antics. He was already tense enough from his teasing and he didn't want to be wound up all the way to Japan.

Tony raised an eyebrow when the man moved he was going to just nibble on the man's ear a bit, but now that he was making it more of a challenge he was going to really really enjoy this. Stark stood, getting a bomb pop from the freezer on board. He sat back in his seat and leaned back. He gave a long slow lick before starting to suck on the popsicle's tips gently.

Bruce noticed the man's endeavors and his blush moved to his ears. He crossed his legs uncomfortably and turned to face the Captain trying to ignore Tony playing around. "S-so, Captain. How's the training facility? I-is it up to your standards?" Banner asked, playing with his hands. They kept his mind off what Tony was implying and there was no way Stark was going to be allowed to turn him on with the entire team in the same room.

"Yes, thank you. It works very well and I still haven't run out of punching bags," he said amazed. It was really an excellent facility he wished all soldiers could train at it.  
Tony noticed Bruce's obvious attempts not to look at him. Taking most of it into his mouth, he began sucking loud enough to be heard. It was obvious he wanted Bruce's attention and he was going to make sure he got it.

"G-glad to hear it. If you need anything else for the facility, just let me or Tony know," Bruce said, playing with his hands ever so nervously. The sounds were definitely bothering him. After each slurp there was a twitch that ran on the side of his face, causing him to have to turn away from the Captain to look out the window without looking too awkward. He would love to tell Tony just to stop, but that was impossible. The man was a child on a mission and he had fourteen hours to have to learn to deal with it.

Tony let out a small moan. "This bomb pop is so good. It's just so big," He said giving another long lick. When he thought he had Banner's attention his he began bobbing his head a bit.  
Steve's face turned a bright red when he realized what Tony was doing. He wished Bruce would just pay attention to him so he could stop demonstrating his skills. He prayed Clint wouldn't wake up, that would just be double the trouble.  
Natasha just shook her head a bit and distracted herself with playing with Clint's hair while he slept. He really trusted her too much; she could kill him at any moment.

"T-Tony where's the bathroom?!" Bruce stuttered the only thing he could think about to get him out of the situation. He could try to wait for Tony to tire out, but considering his reputation, that wouldn't be until they got to Japan. So the next best thing was to leave the area where everyone was at so he could try and breathe for a moment before having to deal with his sex driven boyfriend.

"I'll show you," he said, getting up and walking down to the bathroom which was only slightly bigger than a normal bathroom. He smiled a bit, gesturing to the room. "Here we are, and by the way, I do have a bedroom on board too." He waited for the man as he finished off his popsicle. He hoped his teasing was working. Nothing was more fun than a horny Banner.

Bruce splashed some cold water onto his face, trying to cool down his warm face. Tony was getting to him, but sex, with everyone on board, was completely out of the question. There was too likely a chance for Clint to decide to go snooping and crash their fun. That and having everyone know exactly what they were doing through the thin walls of the plane was not okay.  
The doctor walked out, his breathing back to normal and his faced dried off. Thank Thor Stark finished off his popsicle. At least there was one less distraction the man could try. He nodded and took his spot back next to Steve. At least they could be bothered together by Tony's antics if he kept it up. Everything was better when the nervousness was shared.

Tony was disappointed that the man didn't take him up on the bedroom offer. All he wanted was to enjoy the man a bit. Tony sat in his chair, giving a pout obviously not happy that he was refused. He looked out the window for a few minutes then decided he was tired. "Well, I'm going to go lay down. Natasha, if he wakes up enough, I have one more room on board. Also, there's a kitchen through that door, so help yourselves." Before he, left he gave Bruce a quick puppy-dog look, obviously not wanting to go to bed alone.  
"Thank you, Tony. I'll take him to it if he wakes up a bit." Natasha said with a small smile. This was the only time she was gentle. When the man was asleep, not lying down with her because she even had intense cuddling. But when the man was asleep, she was gentle with him. She couldn't attack him lying in her lap asleep and defenseless.

Bruce bit his lip and followed, head hung in shame. He couldn't deny Tony after that look. Plus, if he didn't, then the tactics to get him into bed would only get worse. "E-excuse us, Miss Romanoff, Mr. Rogers," he said nervously, fiddling with his hands as he walked past them again and followed Tony into the room.

Tony smiled, closing the door and locking it. He gave Bruce a gentle kiss before taking his hand and went to the bed. Once Bruce laid down, Tony laid on his chest. Today he felt like being comforted by the man's arms. "I just wanted some cuddling. Nothing extreme, don't worry.'

"T-Thank you," Bruce gasped after the soft kiss became much more deeper than that. He let the man rest on him as he got comfortable on the red and yellow coloured bed. "I was worrying that I would have to crawl out of here after you were done with me."

"I wouldn't be that mean, I'm saving the real loving for when we have a hotel bed. Until then, just some cuddling and if we get really horny, maybe some fooling around," he said with a small smile. He tilted his head up and gave the man's chin a kiss, letting him know that he wanted a real one. "Be honest, how sexy was my popsicle show?"

"I think Rogers and I have a silent agreement that public popsicle sucking should stop." Bruce tilted his head down to give Tony a kiss as he brushed the man's hair. "And I did my best to try and ignore you're seductive endeavours." The doctor laid back, enjoying the soft bed underneath him. It was entirely more comfortable than sitting in a chair while he was still butt hurt. So Tony's wants were not entirely for not, even though his blush persisted at the thought that most of the team thought they were fooling around.

"That didn't tell me how sexy it was," he said with a small smile. It was amazing how warm and comfortable he felt on the man's chest. Even when a lagging thought of Betty came, it didn't bother him. Mainly because right then and there, he was laying on Bruce's chest and in his arms, not Betty. Tony sighed a bit. "Bruce, I know I said to leave all bad thoughts behind, but I want you to know, I'm sorry for getting so angry over Betty. You never get angry about me being around Pepper all the time and I should give you the same amount of trust, especially since you constantly trust me around beautiful women, knowing about my old playboy lifestyle. So forgive me?" he asked, looking up at the man a bit.

"Of course." Banner gave his a sad smile and kissed his forehead. "You don't have to apologize to me for that. You have every right to be angry and I'm sorry for it." Bruce took a deep breath, trying not to think about how he hurts Tony. He wrapped his arms around the larger man and held him closer, wanting to feel his warmth and love.

"I have no right. Because I know, at the end of the day, it's me on your chest, in your arms, kissing your lips. Not Betty. So it's not worth being upset to the point that I have to make up with you every time you see her. I love you, Bruce, and I trust you to be around her without making any bad decisions. I still don't trust her, but I trust you enough to have a friendship with her that won't hurt us," Tony gave the man a smile "But seeing her will cost you."

Bruce gave another depressing smile, anguish very noticeable in his eyes. "Thank you, Tony, but...I-I won't need to see her again. Only in emergencies...and that would be with the other guy. Even then, that's not a safe decision, but I just want to protect her. If keeping her safe means her not seeing me again, so be it."

Seeing the man's eyes, Tony felt a twinge of jealousy that quickly went away after nuzzling the man's chest a bit. He decided to try and make the conversation little more light hearted. "Then every day you don't see her, it will cost you."  
Sitting up a bit, he looked into the man's eyes as he spoke. "Every morning I want a 'good morning' kiss, any time I leave the Tower and you're not with me I want a 'goodbye' kiss, when I come home a 'welcome home' kiss, and before we go to sleep a 'good night' kiss. Think you can afford that?"

Bruce's lip quivered as he nodded. He was so happy that Tony understood him. He sat up and hugged the man, keeping his face on the man's chest. Banner held on tight as he brushed his head lightly against the thin fabric of Stark's tee shirt. He could feel the loving warmth from the man and the arc reactor on his skin even through the inconvenience.  
"I-I don't know if the other guy will comply though, but I'll do my best," the small man said into the man's chest, his words muffled through the action.

Tony smiled as he stroked the smaller man's hair gently. It amazed him how quickly he had lost his spot as head and turned into pillow again. "Well, if he wants to help you pay, he's more than welcome," he joked, laughing at the very thought.  
"If you don't make your payments, I'll just add them to your tab," he said, kissing the top of the man's head. It was starting to bother him having his shirt hindering the amount of warmth he felt from the man. He really wanted to take it off, but he didn't want Bruce thinking he was trying to get him to have sex.

"My ever growing tab," Bruce sighed, but appreciated the consequences he got. It was his form of payment for all the hospitalities Stark had offered or provided him with, so it was nice to give back to the man. He pulled Stark back down onto the bed, this time cuddling with him so he could face the man as he laid on his side. A position he was beginning to grow more and more fond of. Banner closed his eyes and rested there as their arms intertwined with one another.  
"Do you mind if I take a nap? I'm still tired from yesterday's hectic day." He gave a small smile as he nuzzled his head against Stark's.

"Feel free. I'll debate about not fondling you in your sleep," he said with a smile, kissing the man lightly. It was so warm and comfortable, it was nice. Not to mention, getting to look Bruce in the eyes as they were cuddling. That was definitely a plus. Brushing the man's hair out his face a bit, Tony's smile became warmer. "I'll take that goodnight kiss."

"I'd prefer my sleep to be fondle free, thank you." Bruce gave a grin as he cracked open an eye to look at the man next to him. Stark was handsome and just seeing his face made him blush sometimes. The doctor gave him his goodnight kiss as his cheeks reddened more.

"Goodnight," he whispered. Finally, he closed his eyes fully and let his normal breathing take over. With all the warmth coming from Tony, the only thing to help him clear his mind, the small man was asleep in a few minutes.

Tony watched the man as he slept. It was something he didn't often get to see, since Bruce almost always woke up before him. He looked at Bruce's hair which was a bit out of place right now, but still complemented his face well. He looked at the man's closed eyes that were for once not scrunched nor did they look saddened. Then he looked at the doctor's lips. Pink, a bit thin, yet kissable. He knew from experience they were soft and warm. Taking in the whole sight just Bruce's face was beautiful to Tony, the man's body just made him absolutely irresistible.

"I love you Bruce. I hope we will be together for a long time. Nothing is more fun than science and sex," he said, smiling to himself. Gently, he brushed some of Bruce's hair out his face. He was hit hard, and he prayed this wasn't karma luring him into a trap for all those women he slept with and had Pepper kick out in the morning.

"Taaaashaaaa the door isn't opening," Clint whined from the other side, shaking the locked item. Apparently he finally woke up to hear the word from Stark about a bed. "I wanted to get pictures of theeeem."

Bruce stirred in his sleep. It felt like he had been out for a short while and he opened his eyes to see what the commotion was about. "Why's the door look like it's going through resonance?" he mumbled, apparently Barton's words when unnoticed while he was snoozing.

"Barton wants a picture of us. Should I let him in so he can have one?" Tony asked with a smile, stroking the man's hair some more. He was serious about the question. He wouldn't mind a picture of them cuddling, especially since they were fully clothed. He'd probably carry it in his wallet and use it as his background.

"Clint, stop. They're probably sleeping. Not to mention if the door's locked, if they're not sleeping, they're probably doing something that they don't want people to see." Natasha scolded. She couldn't believe how immature Clint was being.

"Aww, come on. Either way, the picture would go viral if it had the Shell Head in it," he snickered outside the door. There was a grunt of pain that came from him, Natasha probably disciplining him.

"Mmm," Bruce thought about it, he'd rather he didn't with Clint's last statement. But he saw that Tony looked rather eager to the idea and let out a sigh into the man's chest. "W-Whatever you want," he mumbled.

Tony got out the bed slowly and unlocked the door. He opened it and gestured for him to come into the room. "What would you like a picture of?" Tony asked as he crawled back into the bed.  
Natasha was amazed that the door unlocked, let alone that Clint would be let in. She shook her head a bit. "Clint, I'll be in the other room."

Clint beamed as soon as he heard the door unlock and spun around to see the man opening it. He let out disappointed moan and pouted, he had been hoping for a compromising position. Hawkeye walked into the room, camera in hand and gave a laugh when Stark asked him what picture he wanted. "Oh you know, anything embarrassing or what not. I was hoping to catch you with your pants down so I could use that as blackmail later for the video you got of me, but that's just my preference," Barton shrugged as he waved Romanoff off. "If I want this to be really interesting now, I think we'd need the Mr. Spangled-Pajamas in here."  
Bruce blushed, trying to remain calm while they had a visitor in the most affectionate pose he's been caught in so far. Being butt hurt didn't count when everyone seemed to want to slap his ass. The doctor tried to hide his face by resting up against the arc reactor and letting his messy hair cover the exposed part of his head.

"As much as I'd love to have a photo of Bruce and I in the middle of sex, or just a nude picture of Bruce, I'd prefer to not embarrass him to that magnitude. So, try asking for something reasonable, or get out," Tony said with a small smile. As much as he would love a picture with Bruce, he didn't want it to be something that would cause the man to be overly embarrassed. Not to mention, Clint had woken Bruce up.

"He's your boyfriend, man! Take action! It's your picture anyways, not mine," Clint pouted as he played around with his camera, having it at the ready. "I dunno, make out with the man or something. Keep it sexy." Barton gave a wink, hoping Stark would take the bait to embarrass the smaller man.

"I'm pretty sure it wasn't us banging on your door asking for a picture," Tony said in retort, still Stark couldn't help but smile at the suggestion. That was definitely still PG-13 so Bruce shouldn't get too mad at that. Tilting Bruce's chin up Tony kissed him gently at first before slowly, well slowly for Tony, heating it up. It wasn't but two seconds before his tongue was invading Bruce's mouth, tasting the Pepsi from before.

It took a second to process Clint's reaction and by that time Stark already had his lips against his. Bruce was frozen as Tony's kiss made him melt, the poor doctor didn't even have the capability to think he could simply push him off. The man's blush only more prominent as the kiss lasted. He couldn't believe that he was going to have his picture taken this way. It was making his heart race more than it should.  
Clint snapped the photo. Stark looked very into it and Banner looked so submissive, it nearly caused him to laugh. "Aww, come on, Shell Head. You can do better than that," he teased, seeing if he could coax the man into getting him something kinkier.

Tony took the bait. There was no way he was going to have his sexual skills critiqued. He knew for a fact that he was an amazing lover, for anything less to be implied would be an absolute insult. His hand moved down, slowly as to not let Bruce in on what he was planning, as soon as his hand was over it he began gently groping Bruce's ass. He made sure not to be too rough, knowing Bruce was probably still sore from the night before.

As amazing as Tony's taste was, the longer it went on, the more and more tense he started to become. Barton standing in the room was becoming too aware and Stark not letting him breath wasn't helping either. When the billionaire suddenly touched his ass, he jumped and pulled away, pushing Tony away from his red face. It'd gone on too much and his heart was racing like crazy from the embarrassment and pent up horniness that he was starting to feel. There was a sharp pain in his wrist and he went to grab it.  
"Heart rate at 190 beats per minute. Beta blockers activated," JARVIS said from his wrist. The doctor winced and bit his lip, laying his head down on the pillow. With his unshackled hand he rubbed his face and removed his glasses that he had slept on.  
Clint had snapped a nice picture of Stark playing with the man's ass before the freak out. When he heard the watch he jumped back slightly to the door._ Shit!_he thought. It was a simplification for the situation. If the other guy was to come out, he wouldn't be happy. When the doctor settled down, he let out a sigh of relief. "Uhh...Think I'll go check on Tasha," he scratched his head, turning around to go out the door and closing it behind him. There was no way he wanted to stay and be blamed for everything.

Tony was surprised when the man pushed him off, but when he heard the watch's warning, he understood why. He had gotten Bruce way too worked up and playing with his still sore ass had probably been a bad idea, though he chuckled when he saw Clint jump back. He obviously was scared shitless of the Hulk, then again, so was Tony. Tony put an arm around Bruce, rubbing his shoulder a bit. "Sorry, big guy. I pushed you a bit too far there...Take it off your tab?" he joked a bit, knowing the man was probably uber pissed at him now.

"Your surprises will be the death of me," he sighed as his heart rate steadily decreased. After the sudden shock, any horny problems he had were gone. He let out a grunt as he rolled over to put his glasses on a nightstand. "N-next time, less people please. That was too...embarrassing," Bruce said, rolling into Tony.

"I promise no more audiences, unless you want them too," Tony leaned his head down and kissed the man's temple gently. Stroking the man's hair a bit, he smiled and said, probably a bit too soon, "since there's no one else in here, can we do it again?"

"Only if I get a couple hours to myself on this plane. I haven't meditated in a week and that premises bugs me," Bruce said with a sigh. After all the stress in the week, he needed a good session to himself. Getting sick to his stomach multiple times because of his actions wasn't a good condition for him to be in if he wanted to function normally.

Tony felt a bit bad. He honestly gave the man no alone time at all. Constantly, he was under the man, always next to him working, or trying to seduce him. Tilting Bruce's chin toward him slightly, he gave him a sweet loving kiss. "How 'bout you meditate now? I'll go check on the Cap and Thor, maybe see if Clint is ready for that contest." He then waited for the man to get off. He never willingly took Bruce off of him. Be it leaning on him or laying on top of him, he never discouraged it.

Bruce gave his lopsided smile and returned the kiss. He appreciated the time to himself, at least this way he could calm down by his own rules and have a quiet time to think. That is, if everyone else wasn't going to make a racket, but if they did, might as well join them. It'd be too distracting while he tried to free his mind.  
"Thank you, I appreciate it. Try not to outdrink the god. There's no hospital for about eleven more hours," he gave him a weak smile, trying to warn him with a joke that he shouldn't overdo himself. With another kiss, he got up off the man and sat himself cross legged on the bed. He put his hands out, keeping his index finger and thumb joined in a circle and started to do his breathing techniques the monks taught him.

Tony nodded a bit and got out the bed heading to the door before he walked out he turned right back around and gave the man a passionate kiss, tasting him. He pulled away fairly quickly, going back to the door licking his lips a bit. "Sorry, I just wanted one more for the road."  
With that he left the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he went to Clint and Widow's door. "Hey, Clint. You ready for the drinking contest? And I want those pictures."

Bruce returned the kiss, glad he still had his eyes open to see the surprise attack. Once the man left, he allowed himself to relax, closing his eyes and watching his breath. All just to try and keep his feelings and emotions under control which. God knows have been spewing forth everywhere the last few days.  
"You got the doc? Better enough to roll out? I plan on winning this thing and I need someone I know I can handle!" Clint said through the door as he rested alongside Natasha. She already refused to let him have any fun this morning and kept the promise when he got into the room.

"Of course not! Do you really think that's a good idea after what just happened or did you forget. I'm sure I can remind, but you won't be happy if I do," he said a little annoyed at the suggestion. Nobody was seeing Bruce buzzed but him. Tony smiled a bit, remembering the last time Bruce had had a little more to drink than usual. He had grabbed his tie and been very very forward with him. A pleasurable shudder went up Tony's spine just thinking about it.  
Natasha sighed at Clint's immaturity. "Clint, you made the plans to do it. Get your ass out there and do it. And give Tony the pictures."

"Fine, fine! I'm coming out! Keep your panties on!" Clint yelled. He opened the door and tossed Stark the camera and made his way to where the rest of the party was at. There was no need to get Natasha angrier at him for Bruce nearly Hulking out because of his shenanigans and what she didn't know, didn't kill her.

Tony took the chip out the camera and put it into his phone. As the phone imported the photos of him and Bruce, they were deleted from the chip. After he had retrieved the photos, he put the chip back in and walked into the sitting room, handing Clint his camera. "So, who's up for Clint's drinking contest?"  
Steve looked up from a book about the American government and shook his head. "I'll have no part in it. There's no way I'm encouraging your drinking, Stark. Not to mention, I can't get drunk, so I automatically win."  
Stark gave a scowl at the man, upset he was meddling in his life. "Fine. How 'bout you Thor up for a little drinking?"

"ALWAYS, MAN OF IRON. BUT OUR PATRIOTIC FRIEND HAS A POINT. IT MIGHT NOT BE THE WISEST DECISION FOR YOU TO PARTICIPATE," Thor boomed as he woke up from his nap.  
"Seems like they're not having it, Shell Head. Wanna have a run just you a me?" Clint asked, pocketing his camera. There could be a possible chance he win if it was just the two of them, as long as he let Stark clear out the bottle first.

Tony sighed. Captain Tight Pants he could ignore, but when Thor was trying to advise him against something, he had to listen a bit more. "No, they're not participating because of me. It wouldn't be fair for me to have fun drinking when they can't because they don't want me drinking."  
Sitting in a chair, he pressed a button on the side and up came a pole and music began playing. "But, Clint, if you're bored a show would be nice." he teased a bit.

Clint erupted in laughter as the pole came up. "Of course you would have that, Shell Head," he managed to spit out after nearly falling over in his own excitement. "But if you want a show, it'll cost ya," Barton snickered as he made his way over to the pole and gave a slow turn on the thing.  
Thor looked confused by the amusement of Clint. Another Midgardian ritual that flew over his head. The music was none like he was used to, but had a beat to it unlike anything he'd ever heard. Learning about the culture was always entertaining, so he sat observing. Maybe something he could share back on Asgard.

Steve turned a bright red as the pole slowly came up right in front of him. Then Clint was on it. This was wrong. Dancing was meant to be done standing on floors fully clothed, not on a pole stripping down.  
"Well, Clint. I can't personally enjoy your dancing, but how much for a lap dance for Mr. Patriotism there? You know you've got to entertain our troops," he said, pulling out a wad of bills.  
Natasha snatched the money, counting it a bit. "Clint...get your ass over there and dance," she said with a smile, glad to be playing pimp. "Congratulations, you're buying me more guns and maybe if you can work extra hard, you'll make enough to get you some arrows."

"Aww! No fair, Tasha! I earned that for once!" Clint pouted as he brought his leg around the pole so show of his sweet ass. He did a nice spin before hanging off the pole to look back at Stark. "How much you gonna pay for it?" he asked with a smile, totally on board with the idea of humiliating the Captain.  
"YOU MIDGARDIANS HAVE THE ODDEST WAY OF USING STAFFS FOR BATTLE," Thor admitted, watching Clint. He was starting to catch onto the idea with Tony's comment. There was at least prostitutes in Asgard, and Clint was showing off like one, causing him to give a roar of a laugh as the man continued.  
Bruce sighed, losing concentration. There was too much commotion in the other room and the thin walls didn't block much of the sound. He unwound himself from his position and put on his glasses to go out and see what all the hubbub was about.

Steve looked at Stark in shock. "Tony, our troops were _never _entertained that way! Besides, there is no way I'm accepting a lap dance. Be it Clint or anyone else."  
Stark ignored the man, continuing the business deals with Clint. Cap wouldn't have the courage to push Clint off or anything like that. That would mean touching a man as he gave him a lap dance. "Five hundred."  
"Deal." Natasha said immediately. Had she known it would be this easy making money, she would have started pimping Clint out a long time ago. "Clint, you have my permission."

"Dammit, Tasha! We could've gone higher!" Clint whined as he slowly got off the pole, taking off his shirt just as slowly as he strutted over to the Captain. "You can look, but can't touch, Cap. Try and remember that." Barton said with a wink as he turned around to flaunt his ass some more after a nice spank while he slowly unzipped his jeans.  
"BARTON, I DID NOT KNOW THAT YOU WERE TRAINED IN SUCH ARTS," Thor laughed as the man turned around back to the Captain to pull down his pants before straddling the poor Cap. Clint was licking his lips sensually as he stroked himself while giving Steve a good grind.  
Bruce nearly fainted walking in on the situation. It was a hilarious site, but something too intimate to just stare at. A full blush exploded onto his face and he turned his head to try and respect their privacy. Not that it was really private, everyone was there. The doctor had no words to describe how out of place he felt, so he stood in silence trying to avoid looking at the situation, but couldn't help sneak peeks at the pricelessness at the occasion.

"Sorry, Clint. You're just not that high class a whore. Work a little harder. You'll get there," she teased as she accepted a low five from Tony for the burn.  
Tony was laughing his ass off. Clint was definitely talented. No wonder Natasha stayed with him. He made sure to keep his eyes mainly on the Cap's reactions though. He really didn't want Bruce mad at him.  
"WHY WOULD I WANT TO TOUCH?!" As soon as Clint took off his shirt Steve's face turned a bright red. He looked like he was going to explode. He was able to ignore the ass being thrusted into his face, but when the man straddled him, he had no idea what to do. He tossed his hands in the air so he wouldn't accidentally touch anything. Seeing his one light of hope, he called out to Bruce. "BRUCE HELP! Make Tony call it off."

"Awww come on Cap, I can't be doing that bad of a job." Clint gave a pout, his face inches away from Steve's. He moved his hands down from his torso to his ass and then to his thighs. With a quick thrust, he gave the man an unexpected kiss. It was short, only due to the fear of the other man biting his tongue off.  
Bruce stood their fumbling with his hands not knowing how to handle the situation. Everyone else was erupting in laughter as he continued to stand in the isle. It was an amusing site at how freaked the Captain got, but of course, it was fairly rude. "T-Tony, you should let the poor Captain go. If this keeps up, he might Hulk out on us," he said with a chuckle, his face red in embarrassment. Hopefully making light of the situation would be appropriate. He was socially awkward enough and then. suddenly, the plane became a strip club. It was all too unnerving.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD! DID YOU JUST KISS ME?!" Steve sat there amazed. _I was just kissed by a man. Not just any man, a man half naked on my lap giving me a lap dance. This is wrong, this is wrong, this is wrong!_  
Seeing the Cap coming to his edge, if not already pushed over it, Tony decided to call off Clint. "Clint, two hundred if you let the Cap go and let Thor have a good time instead. I'd only forgive one man for Hulking out on my jet," he said, looking at Bruce with a loving smile.  
"Deal." Natasha said immediately once again. Tossing her head to the side a bit, she gestured to the man to go over to Thor.

"Sorry Cap, gotta go please a god now. Talk about setting standards and they told me I wasn't a classy whore," Clint said, crossing his arms as he got off Steve. He couldn't resist giving the man another ass slap before moving over to Thor. This one was much more intimidating then Rogers was.  
"HAVE NO FEAR, BARTON. I SHALL TRY NOT TO THROW YOU OFF," Thor said with a laugh as he placed his hands behind his head, getting comfortable before the small man slowly got on top of him. Not as fun as a woman's touch, but amusing none the less.  
Barton looked skeptical as he gyrated his hips on Thor's bulky body. He did a similar routine like with Rogers as he stroked his upper body in an attempt to please the god.  
Bruce shook his head as the insanity took place before him. It was humourous, and he could chuckle occasionally, but it was still ridiculous none the less. He wondered how much Stark had given Romanoff for Hawkeye's services. He sat awkwardly, fiddling with his hands, trying to figure out a safe place to look at.

Steve gasped a bit when his ass was slapped again. This was so awkward. Not that Clint wasn't sexy, just having a sexual attraction to men was wrong and therefore Steve avoided any temptation at all costs. He had to wait for the right dance partner.  
Natasha smiled. Seven hundred dollars in ten minutes. If Tony and Bruce ever broke up, she'd have to ask about being a mistress. He obviously paid handsomely.  
Stark laughed, seeing Steve's reaction and seeing Clint's face. This was all hilarious. It also gave him an idea. He wondered how much science he'd have to do to get a dance from Bruce. Seeing Bruce's confusion, Tony decided to let him know it was okay to look at Clint. "You want a dance Bruce?"

"I-I'm g-good," Bruce stuttered while playing with his hands, turning his head to the window to look out at the clouds. That would be too intimate of contact from anyone other than his partner. There were also health hazards that were possible for the poor stripper if he was too into it.  
"How much, Shell Head?" Clint asked, licking his lips as he gave a very slow grind up against Thor. The god found this utterly amusing and boomed another laugh as the small man continued to whore himself out.

Natasha's ears perked at the idea of making more money. Maybe they could get a grand out the man. That would be enough to buy Clint some new arrows and maybe even a really nice gun depending on the dealer.  
"Absolutely nothing. If Bruce gets a lap dance, it's from me," he said sensually. Getting up, he did a slow spin around the pole. "So what do ya say, Bruce? Want a dance?"  
At the prospect of having two members of his team whore themselves out, Steve slipped off into the kitchen to hide, making sure nobody noticed.

The doctor was very uncomfortable with everyone there if he was going to get a dance. That just wasn't acceptable, but he couldn't help stare as Tony started to flirt around the pole. Stark was still fully clothed, but watching the man and his very appealing body show off was getting Banner worked up. His body felt very warm and, unfortunately, he could feel himself start to get it up. He undid one of the buttons on the upper part of the shirt and shook his red face, denying the temptation in front of him.  
Clint gave a laugh at how flustered the doc was. It was hilarious considered how little Tony had to show off to get the man worked up. "Aww, doc. How can you resist the Shell Head? You don't even have to pay for that," Barton laughed.  
Thor looked over to see what Hawkeye was talking about and laughed himself. The man was almost as red as the Captain and he also noticed Natasha being neglected. "WHY DON'T YOU PLEASE YOUR OWN, EH BARTON?" the god asked as he gave the man a nice smack on his ass for the entertainment.

Clint happily obliged and hopped onto the agent, playing with himself while giving a pouty look, wanting a kiss from the woman. "If I do a good job, do I earn my share back?" he asked as he slowly went to work.

Natasha smiled, groping the man's ass a bit. "We'll see. Depends on how good a job you do," she said, tilting her head up to give the man a kiss. She had to admit, Clint was talented. He was definitely sexy as hell when dancing.  
"You sure?" Tony asked as he slowly pulled his shirt over his head as his hips swayed a bit. Pulling off his shirt, he threw it off to the side before moving closer to the man and leaning over him as he slowly let down his zipper.  
Clint gave a purr to Natasha's touch. He was enjoying himself greatly and he was getting paid for it. Two in one.

Thor laughed as the others enjoyed their time. He took note that the Captain was gone and decided to go see if he was alright, he did get a good scare earlier.

"T-Tony! S-Stop," Bruce whispered, the man was right in front of him and he was enjoying it immensely. His lip quivered slightly, wanting to taste Stark. The nice sensation in his crotch telling him to continue, but his well natured side was holding him back. There were two too many people in the room for his actions to take place. He squirmed in his seat, trying to back away, but to no avail.

"You wonder why you're not a high class whore. You need to work harder," she said, moving her hips a bit under him.  
"Are you sure? Because this is the last time I'm offering," he whispered, seeing the man's face. He really wanted to have some fun with Bruce, but he didn't want to push him too far. Turning so his ass faced the man, he swayed his hips, letting his pants fall to reveal his tight red boxer briefs.

"I'll show you harder," Clint smirked as he got off Natasha. He picked her up and made a dash for the bedroom they were in earlier. With a wink to Bruce, he opened the door and slammed it a second later. They were going to be busy for a bit.  
Banner noticed the two leave and also noted the now empty room. He gave a smile and pulled Stark's nicely shaped ass down on his crotch. He'd have to thank Barton later; it was getting harder and harder to resist the man. The doctor pulled Tony down by the waist and started to feel his muscular chest, his soft skin feeling good beneath his fingertips, but not as nice as his hard on giving a nice thrust into the man's firm buttocks.  
If Bruce wasn't warm enough before, he was now. His face felt like it was on fire and it cooled off on Tony's exposed body. He gave quick kisses along the man's neck and shoulders, just to trace his tongue along the route.

Tony smiled as he sat in the man's lap. It actually surprised him how hard Bruce had gotten without any touching. He let out a soft moan, feeling the man's hands, lips and tongue. He turned his head and gave a devious smile as he caught the man's hands and shook his head. "Uh-uh, you don't get to start that just yet. This is a lap dance, remember?"  
Standing up, he began rotating his hips to the music. Straddling the man's waist, he gyrated his hips a bit, bumping together their crotches. After a few minutes of dancing on the man's lap just to tease him a bit, he leaned in and whispered, "now you can start."

Bruce waited impatiently, biting his lip to hold back the moans as Tony passed over him again and again. At least this time he could see him properly with his glasses on. When Tony gave him the okay, he didn't hesitate. Banner went to work, stroking his fingers over the man's chest as he started to nibble at Stark's neck. After each one, he gave a sensual lick and blew nicely at the moist skin. The smaller man started his trusting back up again, wanting the friction Tony provided. He gave small grunts that were suppressed once Bruce started sucking at Tony's sensitive neck.

Tony let out small groans as the man played with his chest and neck. Bruce had never done anything like this before, other than the one time he marked Tony's neck, and Tony really liked the way he was taking charge. His head tilted to the side to give Bruce more room. His arms wrapped around the man's neck, giving a small pull to the man's hair anytime he reached a particularly sensitive spot. Tony made sure to try and keep the beat of the song with his thrusts forward and his hip rotations.

Bruce decided to leave a significantly sized bruise once Tony started pulling at his hair. It was obvious that this spot was the best place for it and he went to work. He sucked at it as hard as he could and gave a nice bite down when he was finished. Moving down to his next toy, he moved one hand over Stark's nipple and positioned himself in front of the other. He slowly teased the one with his hand and gave a slow lick to the other.  
Stark was getting excited and he could clearly feel it against his own rock hard erection. The doctor's face was a bright red, the man managed to make him so horny so quickly. It was ridiculous. There was no denying that he could enjoy being the dominate one occasionally, even though being played with for him felt so damn good. He let out small moans as Tony kept pressing himself into him and he returned each trust with one of his own.

Tony let out a gasp as the man began to play with a very sensitive spot on his neck. It took all he had to hold in the moans as the area was attacked. When he thought Bruce had finally reached the point where he was too embarrassed to continue, he felt a wet mouth on his nipple. This time all bets were off as he let out a rather loud surprised gasp. He managed to keep his moans low, but they were there. He was already to a point of being painfully hard. As much as he loved this, he wanted release.

Bruce gave a smile as he heard the gasps. Apparently he was doing something right. He let go of the toy in his mouth and gave it a steady stream of cool air to play with the man some more. The doctor pulled back, licking his lips as he looked and admired the man on top of him. It was amazing how attractive he was, yet he settled with his less than ideal body. From Tony's head, to the arc reactor and then down to his growing problem, the doctor took it all in. Rarely did he indulge himself to appreciate the man's body, but it really was a work of art.  
The doctor removed his hand off of the billionaire's chest and went down to his red covered ass and gave it a nice squeeze on both sides. He looked up to see Tony's eyes, they looked like they were begging for him to give him the release he wanted. Bruce gave his lopsided smile, knowing he held all that power. "You're doing a pretty good job," he teased, he was doing more of the work, but all the same, he loved it.

Tony let out a small moan as he felt the cool air stream over his nipple. Where Bruce learned to play like that, Tony had no idea, but whoever it was was very talented. Tony noticed Bruce's going over him and leaned back a bit to give a better view. If he was going to for once check him out, then Tony was going to encourage it.  
Tony jumped forward a bit when he felt Bruce's hands on his ass. That had definitely been unexpected. Now he knew why Bruce preferred a little warning. Tony rolled his hips a bit and smiled, "What do I have to do for a tip?"

Bruce let out a laugh at the premise. "You expect the man who's still afraid to use his bank account after years of having to avoid anything the government could get their hands on to track me to have any sort of money? I could give you some rupees that I have left over from when I was India if that'll do," Bruce chuckled as he held Tony by his ass as the man continued to give him a ride.

Tony smiled as he jerked his hips again before pressing his ass into the man's hands a bit more. "I'll just add it to your tab," he said, kissing the man gently. "So you better tell me what you want and get your money's worth."  
He was teasing the man a bit, but he was so turned on it wasn't funny. Frankly, he just wanted Bruce to stop teasing him back so they could get to having more fun. Slowly dragging a finger up and down the back of Bruce's neck as he waited for an answer, he played with the hair at the top of his neck a bit before going back down.

Banner gave Stark another squeeze right before a shiver ran up his spine as the man started playing with his neck. It was obvious Tony wanted to keep it up and that was probably the better idea, his erection was starting to bother him and he wanted release just as bad.  
"Right now I'd lift you to the bedroom and 'get my money's worth', but that would require me growing muscles and I don't particularly want that right now. How about we move somewhere a little more comfortable," Bruce moaned as he tensed up as Tony ran his finger over his sensitive skin.

Tony smiled, glad to get Bruce back. The man had kissed and sucked very sensitive places and got him extremely hard. He was glad he could do the same with just a finger. Slowly getting off Bruce, Tony picked up his clothes before heading to the bedroom where he sat on the edge of the bed, legs spread, with a finger motioning Bruce to come hither.

Bruce followed, closing and locking the door behind him. He turned around to see his partner more than ready for him and gave a small smile that crossed his extremely red face. He followed the instructions, placing his glasses on a ledge by the bed, not wanting them to get dirty or in the way. "I paid good money for you, I hope you're as skilled as they say," he whispered in his ear, standing over the man as he teased him a bit for his playboy background and ability to get him to have sex with their comrades so close by.

A shudder went up his back as Bruce whispered to him. He was just so in character and sexy as hell. "I'm not as good as they say," he whispered as licked the shell of the man's ear. "I'm better."  
With that, he moved his head down a bit to suck on Bruce's neck gently. As hard as it was, he had to remember he was playing the whore which meant he didn't get to call the shots. Since he started the game, he sure as hell couldn't lose it.

Bruce gave a shiver and a moan as the man teased him. Tony's promise was a fact and he already got to feel that before, but it felt sexier when they were playing around in character. Something he'd have to remember for later. The man's lips and tongue felt wonderful on his exposed skin which there was a very minimal amount of due to his hindering clothes. The doctor started to unbutton his shirt fully, only to fumble with the buttons as Stark distracted him by making his body tense up with pleasure.  
"H-help me undress," he whispered to his toy again, this time nibbling on his ear like he had done so many times to him before. It felt odd to be demanding, even then it sounded more of a suggestion, but he hoped Tony wouldn't mind.

"Gladly," Tony whispered as he raised his hands up and began undoing the buttons on Bruce's shirt. Through this process, he continued nibbling on the man's ear until he took the shirt completely off of him. It was then that he pulled back to slowly drag his hands down the man's chest. Once he reached the man's pants, he began unbuttoning them. It was obvious Bruce was having a bit of an issue being demanding, but he was still doing a good job to Tony. His submissive demands just made Bruce all the sexier.

Bruce felt relieved to have the constricting fabric removed. Even if all his clothes were baggy, he was still very warm from Tony working him up. He stepped out of his pants, removing his shoes and socks before hopping onto Stark's lap only in his boxers. He gave the man passionate kiss as he pushed him onto the bed, enjoying the taste. Stroking the man's hair with his other hand, he ran it along the billionaire's soft side slowly, enjoying the feel on his skin under his fingertips. The doctor parted, gasping for air. He made sure to breathe to bring his heart rate down before moving back down to Stark's ear.  
"I would enjoy this more if you were on top," he said, licking his lips and the outer edge of the man's ear. As much as he enjoyed getting to give Tony a turn, he desperately wanted release. Plus, this was his buy and he was going to utilize it.

Stark moaned into the kiss, tangling his fingers in Bruce's hair as their tongues tangled. A shudder ran up his spine as Bruce licked his ear. He was just so sexy, Tony thought he might cum on the spot, but that would have been really embarrassing considering Bruce hadn't even touched his manhood yet. Tony smiled, flipping them over so he was on top of Bruce, between his legs.  
He gave the man a gentle kiss, moving to kiss down his jaw line, then his neck, his chest, once he reached his boxers Tony took the waistband between his teeth pulling it down very slow. Once Bruce's erection was freed Tony gave a long slow lick from base to tip. "Much better than a bomb pop."

"I'm glad," Bruce said with a blush, leaning his head back to enjoy the sensation. Stark had gotten him very hard, and the release he wanted was so close. The man was doing a sexy fucking job at pleasing him. _Gonna have to give him that tip, _he thought with a chuckle.

Knowing that it was the most pleasurable thing for Bruce when Tony played with his manhood, he began sucking on the tip roughly. He decided he wasn't taking it slow this time, he was going to try and make Bruce cum as fast as possible so he could get off too. Blue balling was definitely not his favorite thing in the world. Moving from the tip, he placed kisses down Bruce's penis until he reached his testicles. For the first time ever, Tony began licking them gently the taking in as much as could began sucking on them. While he did this, he stroked the man, using his thumb to play with the slit.

"O-Oh god!" Bruce gasped, gripping onto the bed for support as the pleasure became immense. Something so simple felt wonderful and he couldn't believe Tony was actually sucking him off down there. The smaller man tried to keep his breathing even as his face became burning hot. Stark was out doing himself, his actions felt perfect and he could feel himself start to get the release he wanted so fast.  
"I-I'm gonna cum," the doctor said embarrassed as he bit his lip to try and suppress his loud moans.

Tony smiled as he heard the man's exclamation. It was always a sign he was doing a good job. Once he heard Bruce's warning, he switched to sucking the man's cock and fondling his balls with his hand. Bobbing his head up and down while adding suction, he made sure to look Bruce in the eye. He could feel the man's cock throbbing on his tongue. The man was definitely close.

Bruce let out another gasp as Tony wrapped his warm mouth around his cock, the nice movements from the man causing him to jizz into Stark's mouth. The doctor let out a sigh of relief as he rested on the pillow, enjoying the afterglow while Tony slowly cleaned up the mess around his penis.  
"O-okay, you deserve a big tip for that," Bruce said with smile, still trying to calm himself down so his watch wouldn't decide to drug him again so soon.

Tony swallowed the salty liquid, licking whatever remains there were off Bruce's manhood. Once he was done, he started palming himself through his now even tighter underwear. "Can I take that tip now?" he asked, obviously horny as hell. Usually he'd just go to the bathroom and jack off instead of asking Bruce to finish him off, but considering the small, not very private bathroom on the jet, he figured Bruce wouldn't get too mad at him for being a bit selfish in this case.

The doctor gave a small nod and brought himself up so he could help lay the man down. Bruce's confidence left once his horniness was satisfied and he was incredibly red. "H-how do you want me to tip you?" he asked, embarrassed that whatever his actions would be would be inadequate compared to the playboy's standards. He started to fiddle around with his hands before he went to move the tight red boxer briefs off of Tony.

"Tip me however you see fit. Base it on the quality of my services," he said with a devious smile. There was no way he was letting Bruce out of this yet. He was too sexy when he played customer and took charge. He let out a small moan as his erection was released from the tight fabric.

Bruce nodded, his blush growing. The only thing that seemed fit for his services was something similar to his own work. He brought his head down in between the man's legs and gave a tentative lick from the base to the tip of Stark's shaft. There was a taste of pre cum in his mouth which he gave an odd face too, it was fairly salty and he wasn't sure how to continue. He moved up to the head and started sucking on it lightly, remembering the feeling from past experiences with the man. Bringing in the head, he continued to suck as his tongue played around with the sensitive slit, the odd taste becoming all too aware in his mouth.

Tony let out a gasp as the man sucked at his tip. This was the first time Bruce had ever had his manhood even partially in his mouth. It took all he had not to buck his hips into the teasing warmth, tangling his fingers into the doctor's hair as he let out a rather loud moan. It had been quite a while since he'd been sucked off, even before the alien attack considering Pepper preferred more of the intimacy of sexual pleasure rather than the pleasure itself. He wanted Bruce to take more of him into his mouth, but he wasn't going to rush the man considering this was probably his first time.

The doctor would have smiled if he didn't have Stark's penis in his mouth. Hearing the sounds the man was making was a sign that he was at least doing an adequate job, if not more. The feeling was still odd, but he started to give a bob like Tony would normally for him. He didn't go too far in fear of choking and the potential drugging to prevent a Hulk out. Bruce also tried to avoid scrapping the man with his teeth. He had no idea if that would be pleasing to him. Looking up at his good work to see Tony in ecstasy was a bonus. There was still a curious and, if not, conflicted look on his face on whether or not he could do better and whether or not he was liking this. It was definitely a new situation for him.

Tony managed to take down the volume of his moans rather quickly, but it really didn't take long for him to feel that tight coil in his stomach. Considering how turned on he was before, watching Bruce suck him off really didn't help him last long. "I-I'm going to cum," he warned, trying not to moan the words.

"Mmph?" the doctor tried to say 'what', but with the problem in his mouth it was impossible. He heard the warning, but he didn't know whether or not he was supposed to speed up, slow down, get off, etc. He looked at Stark with worried eyes as he finished a bob and he could feel a warmth forming in his mouth. A warmth that was even saltier than what he tasted earlier. He got off of Tony and had the face of a child who didn't like what he was given for dinner but was enduring eating it anyways. With a shiver and a grimace, he swallowed the substance.

Though he felt a bit bad about not warning Bruce about the taste, Tony started laughing even through his afterglow. The face the man had made had been too funny. Maybe even worse than the one he made after eating Tony's death sandwich. Sitting up, he kissed the man gently, able to taste himself on Bruce's lips. "That your first time tasting semen?"

"Y-yes," he stuttered, unable to shake the taste from his mouth. "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't really know what to do..." Bruce started playing with his hands, self-conscious on how he did. Now that they were done, his nakedness was becoming all too apparent and he went to put on his discarded boxers. Once acceptable, he crawled back over to Tony, his face still having a distasteful look. The poor doctor could really use something to wash down his first time.

"Salty, huh?" Tony chuckled again as he quickly put on his clothes again and went to the sitting room to grab the man some Pepsi. Closing and locking the door behind him, he handed the man the glass. "You know, you don't have to swallow, right?" he asked a bit amused by how much of a pansy Bruce was being.

"You made it look easy...," Bruce mumbled, taking the drink. He appreciated having the sweet to counteract the taste in his mouth and swished it around before swallowing. He continued to finish the drink normally this time and let out a sigh of relief.

"I've also had a large sexual appetite since I was a teenager. My first girlfriend happened to tell me how it tasted. She wasn't too keen on the flavor either," he said with a chuckle as he crawled back into bed. He laid back on one of the pillows, his hands behind his head. "Though I must say, you did much better than her. I'm going to have to give you a lap dance once a week if that's what it ends in."

"Thanks." Bruce blushed, getting off the bed to get fully dressed. When he was done, he laid back down, resting his head on the arc reactor. He took a deep breath, enjoying the warmth and comfort from the man. It was something he enjoyed most out of the intimate moments with him. "So much for me meditating, huh?" the small man joked as he started to rest his eyes.

"Hmm, right. How did that go by the way?" he asked, knowing that the racket was probably what drew him out of his meditating five minutes into it. He brought an arm down to put around Brucen rubbing his shoulder a bit. He took a deep breath, relaxing and enjoying the fact they still had at least eight hours of flight left. He wanted to spend them, just like this: with Bruce on his chest relaxing, talking, and joking. "You know, you could always try again while I'm at my meeting. I could ask Natasha to babysit for a while. I just don't want Thor walking into Tokyo and having everyone yell 'GOJIRA!'"

"It was cut off about an hour and fifty five minutes sooner than I would have liked, but it had an enjoyable alternative," Bruce said, snuggling into the warmth. "I think I will try again. And the babysitter sounds like a good idea. You might want to warn the hotel to lock the kitchen, just in case." Bruce chuckled, amused by Thor becoming Godzilla.

"Well, since we'll be in Japan, I'm sure there's a temple somewhere around that you could meditate at. Though, no promises that I want run in there and grab you after the business part of this trip is over," he teased as he pulled out his phone. "You know, someone once told me to ask Siri something. I told them JARVIS fucks Siri every night and that's why her performance is always so poor." He chuckled, obviously proud of his AI system.

"I'd like that," Bruce said with a smile. "It's been awhile since I've been in that country. I might find some of my monk friends depending on the area." It'd been some time since he was in that country. Unfortunately, the Hulk Busters had caught wind of him there and fled across the continent, eventually leading to where Agent Romanoff found him.

The second part of Stark's statement caught him off guard. But it obviously was some sort of computer software similar to JARVIS, and to Tony, was nowhere near as powerful. "Siri? Care to explain the technology to me?" he asked, genuinely curious about it. He had been out of newer devices for a long time.

Tony was so caught off guard by the question, he literally did a double take. He knew Bruce had been away from technology for some time, but he thought that he would have at least gotten some type of wind about Siri. "Basically she's like JARVIS, but only for the iPhone and only to pull up things on it like Google or set a calendar. It's a scheme to make people think they're doing less work while in reality they're doing more with all the times they have to repeat themselves."

"Oh, okay. I've heard about the iPhone in a lot of countries. I just couldn't understand the rest of the sentence though, was still learning the language at the time," he said awkwardly, seeing how his ignorance obviously was weird for the futurist. The doctor felt like he needed to explain himself, even if his situation was already currently known. "I had my old encoded laptop for a while when I was running around. I mainly used it for a cure and chatting with a friend, but I kinda lost it years ago and I didn't really have any funds for a new one. Plus, I didn't really see need of it when I was settled down in Calcutta for I gave up on the original intent of the machine."

"Bruce...all I heard out of that sentence was I need to buy you a new laptop," Tony said with a small chuckle. He knew of the man's lack of technology in all the places he had stayed. Stroking the man's hair gently, he chuckled again. "Siri is kind of new, so don't beat yourself up about it. Just know JARVIS is better and you get him for free."

"Please don't feel obliged to do that. Using your computer system if good enough," Bruce said flustered, not wanting to waste the man's money. "Besides, I do have the money for it. I'm just too much of a wuss to go to the bank. Still afraid that Ross will show up there in a split second to put as many guns to my head as possible." The doctor gave a sigh as he let the man pet him. It felt soothing to be there in his arms and the comforting touch was enough to forget his troubles.

Tony listened to the man letting out a small chuckle when he said he was still afraid to go to the bank. _Bruce really should know by now, that I'll protect him. He's too afraid to go to the bank? Challenge accepted. _"I have a solution for you. After your month vacation, I will add five hundred dollars to your bank account every day until you go to the bank and withdraw enough money to buy yourself something nice."

Bruce's eyes went wide in horror. He maneuvered himself off the man's chest, keeping his arms on each side of Tony as he looked into his eyes to see that his intent was pure. "D-Don't! H-how would you even get a hold of all my information?! I don't even remember most of it," the small man stuttered, trying to change his mind. There was no real reason for him to give Ross his location away and the alternative would drive him crazy and give his location away anyways. It was a lose-lose for him.

Stark gave a devious smile as the man sputtered. Putting his head up a bit, he pecked the man on the lips. His anxiety about the whole thing was hilarious. Anyone in the world would avoid going to the bank as long as possible after that arrangement. Only his Bruce would be upset about this. "Bruce, normal people can hack into people's bank accounts with small amounts of information. I am a genius that has hacked into military computers and has all your information from before you went into hiding."

Bruce let out a groan and slumped back down onto Tony. There was no way he'd ever win against the man. "This is what happens when I fall for a genius," he sighed, his voice muffled from talking into the man's chest. "I'll go to the bank when I get back."

"And what will you buy yourself?" Tony asked, raising an eyebrow. There was no need to go to the bank if he wasn't going to buy anything. He rubbed the man's back gently trying to comfort him a bit, though he was the cause of his issues at the moment. "May I suggest a cell phone, so I can text you?"

"I was thinking a box of tea, but alright," he sighed, still not too keen on the idea of something so readily traceable. Plus, there wouldn't be much use for it. "Only if we're allowed to make sure it's not traceable. Call me paranoid, but I'm used to that."

"I'll attach it to JARVIS. Anyone who tries to trace will have their machine totaled. Sound fair?" he asked, understanding the man's paranoia. He'd been running for years, it obviously wasn't going to go away in a few months. "Bruce, you know I'm going to protect you and the big guy too. You guys mean a lot to me. I wouldn't let Ross get you even if it meant destroying S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Thanks." Bruce gave a small smile before turning into the man's chest. It also left an impression at how much this man loved him. "It's funny. I say I want to help protect you and you reject it. Yet here you are, offering me your life for the task," he whispered, a comforted, yet slightly hurt tone to his voice. Stark had his silly demands, yet they really were nothing in comparison for what the man offered him on a daily basis.

"Are you saying you don't want me to protect you or you want to protect me? Because my form of protection and your form of protection are completely different. I'd let you protect me if it didn't involve you leaving and disappearing from the face of the Earth until the next world crisis." It was obvious he was still upset about the man trying to leave that night.

"I'm sorry," Bruce said quietly. The man was right and there was no denying that. It's been his only way to protect people so far and in all honesty, it was still a horrible choice. He let out a small sigh as he rolled over off the man. It was obvious he hurt Stark yet again and his position was starting to make him feel uneasy.

Stark pouted a bit as when the man got off. He had been very comfortable. Slowly, he rolled over so he was over the man, looking down into his eyes. He kissed the top of the man's forehead, "I," he kissed between the man's eyes, "forgive," a kiss to the tip of the man's nose, "you," he finished with a kiss to the man's lips. "Just don't do it again because if you thought I was mad when Betty kissed you, you don't want to see what I'll be like if you ever try to go into hiding."

The doctor gave a sad smile and a nod. There was still the thought of leaving to go into hiding so he wouldn't have to kill his love if the day came. Tony would be better off that way. Hell, it would mean keeping his promise to himself. Trying to prevent himself from dwelling on the topic, Bruce wrapped his arms around Tony's back and pulled him in, giving him a sweet kiss. The man had a slightly different salty taste, his own, but he moved past it to get the real flavour of the man he loved. He parted, giving his lopsided smile. "I love you, Tony."

"I love you too, Bruce." Tony snuggled onto the man's chest, feeling the warmth. This was something Tony was a bit jealous of. Bruce's chest was soft in all the right places. Tony had a nice body, but no matter what, his chest would be unusually hard where the arc reactor was. "Want to see the pictures Clint took?"

"I don't know, _do_ I want to see those pictures?" Bruce said with a chuckle. They were probably just going to embarrass him some more, but he gave a shrug to let the man know it was alright. Hopefully Clint was merciful enough to make them seem proper, he was lucky enough to have Stark make sure he tamed the man.

Pulling out his phone again, he pulled up the pictures. He went in chronological order from when they first started kissing, to when Stark placed his hand on Bruce's ass to give it a good squeeze. The passion in the kiss was obvious. "I like them. I think I'm going to put the one with me groping your ass as my background or maybe my screensaver or both. Both would be nice."

Bruce grabbed his glasses and put them on to see the pictures. He gave a blush to see their intimacy from another perspective. The first one was more romantic than the other, the ass grabbing as a little too much for his tastes if people were going to look at the man's computer. "I like the other one more, but it's your computer," he said with a small smile and gave the man a kiss on the lips.

Tony smiled a bit accepting, the kiss. "I'll use the other one for my work computer. This one for my laptop. Don't worry, I wouldn't share that aroused face with anyone but our photographer. By the way, I deleted the photos off the camera after I put them on my phone." Settling in on the man's chest a bit better, Tony started to feel tired. "We really didn't get much sleep last night, mind if I just sleep here a while?"

"Thank you," Bruce gave an appreciative smile that no one else would see the pictures. "And of course. I'm feeling kind of tired after all that fun." The small man gave a chuckle as he found a comfortable position to lay down without putting too much pressure on his sore butt. He stroked Tony's hair as he watched the man drift off into a slumber. He gave the man a kiss on his forehead before drifting off to sleep as well.


End file.
